Quantum Computing 2026 Update

Quantum computing annual review. Plus, as this is the tenth such video, reflections on developments over the past decade.

All previous updates can be found in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2m2YvnrOYxIZ5ThTsTov6h2YSGzFHYul

REFERENCES (a few omitted as the description box is too short)

INTRO

IBM Wafer Foundry: https://newsroom.ibm.com/ibm-and-u-s-department-of-commerce-announce-americas-first-purpose-built-quantum-foundry

Google cryptography -- listed later

Atom Computing error correction -- listed later

IBM $10bn investment: https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-06-02-ibm-commits-more-than-10-billion-to-quantum-computing,-funding-its-roadmap-from-todays-leading-systems-to-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computers


QUBIT EVOLUTION

Google Willow: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/

IBM fault-tolerance: https://www.ibm.com/quantum/blog/large-scale-ftqc

PsiQuantum Omega: https://www.psiquantum.com/news-import/omega

PsiQuantum Australia: https://www.psiquantum.com/news-import/psiquantum-breaks-ground-in-australia-on-site-of-worlds-first-utility-scale-quantum-computer

Google neutral atom: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/neutral-atom-quantum-computers/

Atom Computing error correction: https://atom-computing.com/atom-computing-reveals-quantum-error-correction-with-toric-code/

QuEra roadmap: https://www.quera.com/our-quantum-roadmap
IonQ technology: https://www.ionq.com/technology

Quantiniuum fault tolerance: https://www.quantinuum.com/blog/quantinuum-overcomes-last-major-hurdle-to-deliver-scalable-universal-fault-tolerant-quantum-computers-by-2029#

Microsoft Majorana 2: https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/innovation/majorana-2-microsoft-discovery-agentic-ai/

D-Wave 1st sale: https://phys.org/news/2011-06-d-wave-commercial-quantum.html

D-Wave buys Quantum Circuits: https://www.dwavequantum.com/company/newsroom/press-release/d-wave-completes-acquisition-of-quantum-circuits/

D-WAVE gate based roadmap: https://www.dwavequantum.com/company/newsroom/press-release/d-wave-charts-a-new-course-to-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing-with-gate-model-roadmap/


10 YEARS OF QUANTUM CLOUD

Xanadu IPO: https://www.xanadu.ai/press/xanadu-becomes-first-pure-play-photonic-quantum-computing-company-to-go-public

Quantinuum IPO: https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/06/04/quantinuum-to-debut-on-nasdaq-after-raising-1-68-billion-in-ipo/

Amazon Bracket providers: https://aws.amazon.com/braket/quantum-computers/

Azure quantum providers: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/quantum/qc-target-list

Google Cirq hardware: https://quantumai.google/cirq/hardware

IBM Qiskit: https://www.ibm.com/quantum/qiskit

Microsoft development kit: https://quantum.microsoft.com/en-us/tools/microsoft-quantum-development-kit

Google Cirq: https://quantumai.google/cirq


QUANTUM APPLICATIONS

MIT on IBM simulation: https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/09/13/149180/ibm-has-used-its-quantum-computer-to-simulate-a-molecule-heres-why-thats-big-news/

Microsoft quantum: https://quantum.microsoft.com/

Microsoft Azure Quantum Elements, 2023: https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/innovation/azure-quantum-elements-chemistry-materials-science/

IBM realizing Feyman’s vision: https://www.ibm.com/quantum/blog/qcsc-reference-architecture

IonQ chemistry: https://www.ionq.com/news/ionq-quantum-computing-achieves-greater-accuracy-simulating-complex-chemical

McKinsey Chemistry: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-technology/our-insights/solving-chemistrys-toughest-problems-the-quantum-computing-advantage

OECD report: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/building-business-readiness-for-quantum-computing_ee847e5f-en.html

Improving batteries: https://planqc.eu/solutions/case-studies/basiq

Quantum Australia logistics: https://www.quantum-australia.com/use-cases/quantum-computing-for-optimising-logistics-and-transportation


POST QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY

Google blog: https://research.google/blog/safeguarding-cryptocurrency-by-disclosing-quantum-vulnerabilities-responsibly/

Google PQC timeline: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/safety-security/cryptography-migration-timeline/

NIST on PQC, 2023: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/07/nist-announces-first-four-quantum-resistant-cryptographic-algorithms

NSCS on PQC, 2026: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/preparing-for-post-quantum-threat

More videos on computing and related topics can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/@ExplainingComputers

And more videos on film and other making, plus retro tech, can be found on my Christopher Barnatt channel: http://www.youtube.com/@ChristopherBarnatt

Chapters:
00:00 Titles & Intro
02:14 Qubit Evolution
04:35 Qubit Technologies
09:06 10 Years of Quantum Cloud
11:53 Quantum Applications
15:09 Post-Quantum Cryptography
16:39 Quantum Momentum

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