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IBM puts its quantum computer to work in relaxing, nerdy ASMR video

IBM puts its quantum computer to work in relaxing, nerdy ASMR video

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Just listen to those qubits sing

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Quantum computing is still a long way off delivering any actual tangible benefits, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate it in other ways. Like, for example, this ASMR-style video made inside IBM’s new Q computation center — a research lab where the company is hard at work on its quantum computing hardware.

Like similar experiments run by Google and Microsoft, this means using things called qubits to create mind-blowingly powerful computers. In theory, anyway. While there’s plenty of hype about quantum computing, the actual machines we’ve made to date are too slow and temperamental to be of practical use. Meanwhile, experts say commercial companies are making unjustified claims about their hardware, and there’s not even any consensus on whether or not we’re building the right type of quantum computer. All of which is to say: don’t hold your breath waiting for the Age of Quantum.

IBM is still bullish, though, and published this video last month to promote its new “IBM Q Network” — a partnership of academic and industry players who will explore how quantum computers could improve various fields in the future. The company says proper quantum computing is just around the corner. We say, maybe, but in the meantime, just listen to those ventilators sing.