IBM's Quantum Computer - Available to the public from Wednesday

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On Wednesday, IBM scientists will make a quantum computer available to the public as a cloud service for the first time.

Though the cloud service is geared mostly toward scientists and students, anyone interested in this strange new computer will be able to give it a try...

A digital computer thinks in two states: zero and one (or off and on). A quantum computer uses "combinations of zeroes and ones" to creates multiple states. It can be a zero, a one, both at the same time, something in between them, or it can be a mysterious zero/one state that you can't really determine, Chow says.

These messy states are called "entanglement," and there are some well-known algorithms, or mathematical formulas, that use them, Chow tells us.

Because quantum computers think differently, they can quickly solve tasks that regular computers can't do, such as working with billions of variables at the same time, like the interaction between molecules in chemistry.

They are also great for machine-learning tasks. These computers are expected to help find new drugs, new forms of computer security, and become smart computers that can think and reason.

Likewise, programming a quantum computer is different.

So the IBM team has created a tutorial to help people learn how to do it. You'll need high-school algebra skills and a background in programming. (It also helps to read a book on the subject before trying your first "Hello world" app, Chow advises.)

• http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/05/how-ibms-new-five-qubit-universal-quantum-computer-works/
• http://www.cnet.com/news/ibm-opens-up-its-quantum-computer-to-anyone/
• http://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-launches-first-quantum-computer-cloud-service-2016-5

IBM's site, hopefully operational on Wednesday
http://www.research.ibm.com/quantum/

Videos

• Quantum in the Cloud Overview: Introducing the IBM Quantum Computing on the Cloud
• Quantum Computing Lab Walkthrough: A Tour of the IBM Quantum Lab
• Running an experiment in the IBM Quantum Experience

Flickr

• Quantum Image set