Why is Australia spending a billion dollars on a quantum computer that doesn't exist yet?

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2025 is the 'International Year of Quantum Science and Technology', but what actually is quantum science? IBM and AMD are teaming up to champion 'quantum-centric supercomputing' – but what's the difference between a supercomputer and a regular computer? Will we ever see a supercomputer show up in our own homes? And why is Australia making a billion-dollar bet on a quantum computing facility in Brisbane?

Plus, how and why did scientists develop a ‘biological qubit’, and could quantum computing be the missing piece in dealing with the impacts of climate change?

GUESTS:

• Justin Hendry, innovation and business reporter for InnovationAus
• Ben McAllister, Research Fellow - ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics at Swinburne University of Technology

This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm.