During the past decade, quantum computing has grown from a field known mostly for generating scientific papers to one that is poised to reshape computing as we know it [1]. Major industrial research efforts in quantum computing are currently underway at many companies, including IBM [2], Microsoft [3], Google [4], [5], Alibaba [6], and Intel [7], to name a few. The European Union [8], Australia [9], China [10], Japan [11], Canada [12], Russia [13], and the United States [14] are each funding large national research initiatives focused on the quantum information sciences. And, recently, tens of start-up companies have emerged with goals ranging from the development of software for use on quantum computers [15] to the implementation of full-fledged quantum computers (e.g., Rigetti [16], ION-Q [17], Psi-Quantum [18], and so on). However, despite this rapid growth, because quantum computing as a field brings together many different disciplines, there is currently a shortage of engineers who understand both the engineering aspects (e.g., microwave design) and the quantum aspects required to build a quantum computer [19]. The aim of this article is to introduce microwave engineers to quantum computing and demonstrate how the microwave community's expertise could contribute to that field.
During the past decade, quantum computing has grown from a field known mostly for generating scientific papers to one that is poised to reshape computing as we know it [1]. Major industrial research efforts in quantum computing are currently underway at many companies, including IBM [2], Microsoft [3], Google [4], [5], Alibaba [6], and Intel [7], to name a few. The European Union [8], Australia [9], China [10], Japan [11], Canada [12], Russia [13], and the United States [14] are each funding large national research initiatives focused on the quantum information sciences. And, recently, tens of start-up companies have emerged with goals ranging from the development of software for use on quantum computers [15] to the implementation of full-fledged quantum computers (e.g., Rigetti [16], ION-Q [17], Psi-Quantum [18], and so on). However, despite this rapid growth, because quantum computing as a field brings together many different disciplines, there is currently a shortage of engineers who understand both the engineering aspects (e.g., microwave design) and the quantum aspects required to build a quantum computer [19]. The aim of this article is to introduce microwave engineers to quantum computing and demonstrate how the microwave community's expertise could contribute to that field.
The articles in this special section focus on quantum computing. After decades of research and development, quantum computing has recently grown into one of the hottest and most promising of all emerging fields. While large-scale quantum computing was just a pipe dream even a decade ago, today there is an intense race around the globe to build a practical quantum computer. So, as a microwave engineer, why should you be interested in quantum computing? It turns out that there is actually a significant amount of microwave engineering involved in the implementation of many controllable quantum systems.
Quantum computing has moved from a theoretical curiosity to a strategic technological priority for governments, hyperscale technology companies, and a fast-growing ecosystem of specialized start-ups. This survey provides a comprehensive, self-contained overview of the field as it stands in 2026. We first lay out the physical and mathematical foundations of quantum computation, superposition, entanglement, interference, and measurement, and contrast them systematically with classical computing. We then survey the competing hardware modalities (superconducting, trapped-ion, photonic, neutral-atom, topological, and spin qubits) and the logic gates and circuit model that operate on them, before reviewing the canonical quantum algorithms that motivate the field. We classify the major computing paradigms (gate-based, annealing, adiabatic, measurement-based, and topological), and examine the current state of the market, the national strategies of leading countries, and the roles played by IBM, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and a cohort of pure-play companies. Dedicated sections map undergraduate and graduate education pathways, including specific universities offering quantum-focused degrees, the domains in which quantum computers are expected to create value, and the career paths now opening in the field. We close with an explicit three-phase roadmap \qtoday{}, \qtomorrow{}, and the \qfuture{} and a candid discussion of the open scientific and engineering problems that stand between the present noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era and a fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computing industry.
Companies such as Intel as a pioneer in chip design for computing are pushing the edge of computing from its present Classical Computing generation to the next generation of Quantum Computing. Along the side of Intel corporation, companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google are also playing in this domain. The race is on to build the world’s first meaningful quantum computer—one that can deliver the technology’s long-promised ability to help scientists do things like develop miraculous new materials, encrypt data with near-perfect security and accurately predict how Earth’s climate will change. Such a machine is likely more than a decade away, but IBM, Microsoft, Google, Intel, and other tech heavyweights breathlessly tout each tiny, incremental step along the way. Most of these milestones involve packing more quantum bits, or qubits—the basic unit of information in a quantum computer—onto a processor chip ever. But the path to quantum computing involves far more than wrangling subatomic particles. Such computing capabilities are opening a new area into dealing with the massive sheer volume of structured and unstructured data in the form of Big Data, is an excellent augmentation to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and would allow it to thrive to its next generation of Super Artificial Intelligence (SAI) in the near-term time frame
Companies such as Intel as a pioneer in chip design for computing are pushing the edge of computing from its present Classical Computing generation to the next generation of Quantum Computing. Along the side of Intel corporation, companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google are also playing in this domain. The race is on to build the world’s first meaningful quantum computer—one that can deliver the technology’s long-promised ability to help scientists do things like develop miraculous new materials, encrypt data with near-perfect security and accurately predict how Earth’s climate will change. Such a machine is likely more than a decade away, but IBM, Microsoft, Google, Intel, and other tech heavyweights breathlessly tout each tiny, incremental step along the way. Most of these milestones involve packing more quantum bits, or qubits—the basic unit of information in a quantum computer—onto a processor chip ever. But the path to quantum computing involves far more than wrangling subatomic particles. Such computing capabilities are opening a new area into dealing with the massive sheer volume of structured and unstructured data in the form of Big Data, is an excellent augmentation to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and would allow it to thrive to its next generation of Super Artificial Intelligence (SAI) in the near-term time frame.
Over the past two years, a comprehensive strategy for quantum technology in Europe has been created by the joint effort of academia and the business sector with community support from all over the continent.By building on that, Europe is making the next big leap with the first wave of pioneering projects launched in October 2018, sending a clear global signal that we will do our very best to retain the historic lead in quantum sciences.Building on Europe's rich scientific heritage and the strong quantum community, the Quantum Technology Flagship was launched by the European Commission with a €1 billion budget.The ambitious initiative will support over 5,000 of Europe's leading researchers over the next ten years.As announced during the official kick-off in October 2018, 20 projects worth €132 million will be funded in the initial 3-year phase via the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme.A solid indicator of success is the staggering number of proposals submitted for the first Flagship call: 140 consortia have requested almost five times the available budget.Over the decade-long course of the Flagship, over 150 projects are expected to be realised.The total €1 billion funding will foster the entire quantum value chain from basic research to industrialisation, thus bringing together researchers and the business sector.Four research and innovation domains will simultaneously be the focus of the European efforts: Communication, Computation, Simulation, as well as Sensing and Metrology represent the major applied areas in the field, which will also be advanced by breakthrough discoveries in the fifth, underlying domain of Basic Science.The Communication domain will foster the development of cheap, compact, faster and more secure random number generators, as well as components and systems for continuous variable quantum communication.Parallel to these, a blueprint for the pan-European Quantum Internet shall be created by developing all essential subsystems and giving the first experimental demonstration.Within Computing, two projects aim to develop quantum computers that are competitive with today's state-of-the-art supercomputers, either by realising a fully-automated ion-trap quantum computer or by building a machine with up to 100 superconducting qubits.The Simulation domain will push the already well-advanced neutral atom and ion-based quantum simulation platforms and address quantum annealing or optimization problems through full programmability.Parallel to that a quantum simulator platform made of ultracold atoms will be created, engineering a new generation of quantum cascade laser frequency combs characterized by non-classical emission and entanglement among the comb nodes.The Sensing domain will see the development of novel and compact atomic clocks, as well as the exploitation of atom-like defects in diamond to develop a variety of sensors and in magnetic resonance imaging to improve the detection of cardiovascular diseases.Furthermore, it will support combining state-of-the-art quantum sensor physics with MEMS atomic vapor cells, allowing for high-volume, high-reliability, low-cost deployment.Finally, within the domain of Basic Science, seven projects will investigate a variety of topics and technologies, with a focus on microfabricated devices and photonic systems.Enhancing capabilities in quantum technologies will help create a lucrative knowledge-based industry, leading to long-term economic, scientific and societal benefits, while delivering novel ideas, tools, components, materials, methods and processes.By funding ground-breaking projects, the Flagship will enable "quantum leaps" in technology development over the next decade, which in turn will lead to establishing markets within and wealth creation even beyond the European quantum ecosystem.Currently Europe is still at the leading edge of quantum technologies worldwide.However, this might rapidly change, as the demand for technology and talent is increasing at an unprecedented pace around the globe due to the promising future of quantum applications.Governments of industry powerhouse nations like the USA or China, as well as corporations such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, Alibaba, and Tencent are already investing substantial amounts to unleash quantum technologies' potential.
With its potential to completely change computation, quantum computing—a groundbreaking discipline that sprung from computer science and quantum mechanics—has attracted a lot of interest. This essay attempts to cover the foundations of quantum computing and offer a thorough manual for readers who are not specialists in the subject. We start by going over the basic ideas of quantum computing and then take readers through the concepts of qubits, superposition, entanglement, interference, and noise. We study quantum gates, quantum hardware, and fundamental quantum circuits. This paper provides an overview of the present state of quantum computing, focusing on the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era and its possible applications to practical issues. delve into the creation of quantum algorithms and their uses, emphasizing well-known algorithms like as Grover's and Shor's. We also discuss how several fields, like material science, machine learning, encryption, and optimization, are affected by quantum computing. Upon finishing this paper, readers will possess a firm grasp of the fundamentals, practical uses, and procedures of quantum circuit development. Our objective is to offer an invaluable resource for scholars hoping to keep current on this quickly developing topic as well as for those ready to start their adventure with quantum computing