IBM says it has made a significant advance towards creating mind-bendingly powerful quantum computers with it superconducting 3D qubit device.

With experts hoping to construct a full working quantum computer in the next decade or so, the ability by IBM boffins to reduce errors in quantum processing and withhold information has made this even more likely.

Qubits, or quantum bits, are the basic units of information used to process information in a quantum computer. Unlike ‘bits’ used in regular computers, which can switch between 0 and 1, quantum bits can be either 0 or 1. Rather more perplexingly, the weird world of quantum mechanics means that they can also be both at the same time.

It is this ability to exist in multiple states that opens up potential for massively increased computing power.