Are quantum computers overhyped?

A new study in Nature says no. A cleverly-designed quantum device developed by Xanadu, a company based in Toronto, Canada, obliterated conventional computers on a benchmark task that would otherwise take over 9,000 years.

For the quantum chip Borealis, answers came within 36 microseconds.

Xanadu’s accomplishment is the latest to demonstrate the power of quantum computing over conventional computers—a seemingly simple idea dubbed quantum advantage.

Theoretically, the concept makes sense. Unlike conventional computers, which calculate in sequence using binary bits—0 or 1—quantum devices tap into the weirdness of the quantum world, where 0 and 1 can both exist at the same time with differing probabilities. The data is processed in qubits, a noncommittal unit that simultaneously performs multiple calculations thanks to its unique physics.