Google researchers have reportedly achieved “quantum supremacy”

The news: A team of researchers from Google have reportedly demonstrated quantum supremacy for the first time. This is the point at which a quantum computer is shown to be capable of performing a task beyond the reach of even the most powerful conventional supercomputer.  Friends in high places: As we first reported last year, Google is using  NASA supercomputers as benchmarks for these experiments. According to the Financial Times, Google’s quantum processor was able to perform a calculation in three minutes and 20 seconds that would take today’s most advanced supercomputer, known as Summit, around 10,000 years.  Quantum speed up: Quantum machines are so powerful because they harness quantum bits, or qubits. Unlike classical bits, which are either a 1 or a 0, qubits can be in a kind of combination of both at the same time. (You can read all about it our explainer here.) How significant is this? It's a big milestone, albeit more of a symbolic one. It is likely the computer’s supremacy is still quite “narrow” and a long way from being ready for mainstream use. Read the full story here.  —Martin Giles