The digital computer relies on transistors and electrical impulses to perform complex calculations. However, modern computer hardware is approaching its limits. That’s not to say today’s computers aren’t powerful—depending on your budget, a modern machine is vastly superior to anything from just ten years ago.

Still, eventually, pushing current technology further will hit a wall, which is why a new generation of computing is needed. And this next generation sounds so wildly imaginative that it feels like it belongs in a sci-fi novel written by an alien civilisation.

This next-generation technology is called quantum computing, where calculations no longer rely on 0s and 1s. Instead, they occur in parallel states at the atomic level, using photons and qubits rather than conventional circuit boards and transistors.

These computers are already under development, but they remain in a primordial stage of operation. One major limitation is their extreme sensitivity—even microscopic vibrations can disrupt their function.

However, once fully operational, a quantum computer will be capable of performing calculations at speeds that defy comprehension.

Physicist Michio Kaku, often called the Yoda of science, explains the revolutionary impact that quantum computing will unleash once it becomes fully functional.