It wasn’t so long ago that quantum computers were obscure, highly experimental devices available only to researchers and students working out of university research labs. That changed in 2016, when IBM put the first superconducting quantum processor in the cloud and made it freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection—kickstarting a new era of quantum computing development. In this Coherence Times episode, we explore the history that led IBM to settle on superconductors as its quantum architecture of choice, and that resulted in the advent of cloud-based quantum computing. Along the way, you’ll learn about the alternative approaches that preceded the IBM shift to superconductors, and discover what’s coming next for superconducting hardware.  

00:00 – Introduction 

3:30 – Starting from the ground state 

9:46 – Building the first qubits 

35:36 – Quantum on the cloud 

42:11 – Pushing forward 

The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity. 

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