A chip off the quantum block: Microsoft's breakthrough reshapes computing

Microsoft outlined a scalable architecture built around a single-qubit device called a tetron. Tetrons can be connected in arrays to create a million-qubit chip if all goes according to plan

In the past two years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has seen breakthroughs turning esoteric research into practical applications. Quantum computing (QC) remains an esoteric field but a new breakthrough from Microsoft may change that.  

QC exploits quantum properties to develop exponentially faster computational capacity. Computing converts everything into binary numbers — current on is “one” and current off, “zero”. A conventional bit can store (and process) either zero or one. 

A quantum bit or qubit can store both values at the same time. When you put an array of qubits together, it can process data exponentially faster than much larger conventional arrays.