What is quantum computing and how will quantum computers change the world?

Depending on who you ask, some say that quantum computers could either break the Internet, rendering pretty much every data security protocol obsolete, or allow us to compute our way out of the climate crisis.

These hyper-powerful devices, an emerging technology that exploits the properties of quantum mechanics, are much buzzed about.

Only last month, IBM unveiled its latest quantum computer, Osprey, a new 433 qubit processor that is three times more powerful than its predecessor built only in 2021.

But what is all the hype about?

Quantum is a field of science that studies the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.

Proponents of quantum technology say these machines could usher in rapid advances in fields like drug discovery and materials science - a prospect that dangles the tantalising possibility of creating, for example, lighter, more efficient, electric vehicle batteries or materials that could facilitate effective CO2 capture.

With the climate crisis looming, and technology with a hope of solving complex issues like these are bound to draw keen interest.

Little wonder then, that some of the largest tech companies in the world - Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and, of course, IBM to name a few - are investing heavily in it and angling to stake their place in a quantum future.

Given these utopic-sounding machines are drawing such frenzied interest, it would perhaps be useful to understand how they work and what differentiates them from classical computing.

Take every device that we have today - from the smartphones in our pockets to our most powerful supercomputers. These operate and have always operated on the same principle of binary code.

Essentially, the chips in our computers use tiny