What are quantum computers going to do for us?

U-M engineers are developing quantum computer technology that may have big implications for cyber security. But what exactly is a quantum computer, and will the technology ever make it into our laptops or smartphones?

Michigan Engineering professor Duncan Steel explains how quantum computing works, using quantum bits that take on superpositions of 0 and 1 simultaneously. Creating that relationship happens quickly, and in an unimaginably unstable environment. Steel’s team is using lasers in an effort to get the information in and out of little pieces of semiconductor quantum dots.