The quest for quantum computing seems a little like that for fusion energy — the necessary technology always seems another decade away, receding into the future almost as fast as we chase it. So far, no one has built a device that has more than about 10 qubits, or carried out any computation that would be impossible on a classical device. The potential for new information devices exploiting quantum physics is surely real enough — as quantum random-number generators and systems for quantum key distribution have already hit the market — but quantum computation, despite unambiguous progress, still seems a reality that we are approaching asymptotically, to be realized (according to current estimates) around 2020 or so.
Even so, it's clear that computation will be very different well before 2020, and even without quantum technology. The more immediate transforming technology is emerging from techniques for controlling and manipulating single molecules, especially information-rich biomolecules, and for constructing what is coming to be called 'molecular cybernetics'.
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