Matthew DeCross

A 98-ion processor amplifies weak randomness to near perfection. Quantum entanglement and ultrafast measurements give an attacker just 30 ms—and a safe radius of 4,500 km.

Scientists have created a quantum computer called Helios with 98 ions. It uses a rotating ring so that ions can communicate with each other wirelessly. Calculation errors have become very small. This brings quantum computers closer to solving real-world problems.

When a quantum computer errs, iceberg codes silently correct the glitches, packing lots of protected data into a small number of real atoms. On a 98-ion processor, a calculation with error correction yielded a more accurate result than without it—proof that reliable quantum machines aren’t just scie