I'm standing in front of a quantum computer built out of atoms and light at the UK's National Quantum Computing Centre on the outskirts of Oxford. On a laboratory table, a complex matrix of mirrors and lenses surrounds a Rubik's Cube-size cell where 100 cesium atoms are suspended in grid formation by a carefully manipulated laser beam. The cesium atom setup is so compact that I could pick it up, carry it out of the lab, and put it on the backseat of my car to take home. I'd be unlikely to get very far, though.

IBM is one of the companies most focused on quantum computing and general artificial intelligence (AI). The advances made by IBM's Watson platform and the quantum computing team out of IBM Research are proof of that leadership. IBM recently announced the massive Osprey, which is one of the most advanced quantum computers in the world. IBM also announced a partnership with Algorithmiq out of Finland that is developing a quantum simulation platform focused initially on health care and materials science. The interesting result should be a significant improvement in related drug discovery efforts that, given quantum computing's massive performance advantage with huge datasets, should help advance new drug development while significantly lowering side effects once finished.