In the next step towards making quantum computing a reality, Australian researchers have for the first time written computer code that can be interpreted by standard devices like smartphones and tablets but can make calculations at a fraction of the speed and time of current transistor-based computing.

Quantum computing allows for multiple calculations to be made at once, making it faster and more powerful than standard computing, which relies on transistors.

Project leader Andrea Morello (left) and lead authors Stephanie Simmons and Juan Pablo Dehollain in the UNSW laboratory where the experiments were performed. Credit:Paul Henderson-Kelly/UNSW

Scientists have been trying for decades to turn quantum computing into a reality but until recently the work has been largely theoretical and relies on "exotic materials", which makes manufacturing a difficult commercial proposition.

Last month, scientists at the University of New South Wales patented a new design using industry manufacturing standards by successfully installing quantum computing technology into silicon chips found in most smartphones and tablets.