In the early 2000s, quantum computers were merely science fiction. Now Google has completed a major breakthrough in quantum computing. The engineers at Google have successfully simulated the first hydrogen molecule, according to sciencealert. A quantum computer is not something that the average person can purchase, and it definitely won’t fit on your desk in the office.

In regular computing, there are bits. A bit can exist in two states, either a one or a zero. In quantum computing, users can take advantage of subatomic particles existing in more than one state at a time. The bits used in quantum computing are called qubits, and they can be a one and a zero at the same time, according to Wired.

“A qubit can be thought of like an imaginary sphere. Whereas a classical bit can be in two states – at either of the two poles of the sphere – a qubit can be any point on the sphere. This means a computer using these bits can store a huge amount more information using less energy than a classical computer,” said Abigail Beall from Wired.

The exciting thing about quantum computers is that they can be literally millions of times faster than a normal computer, and they can be applied to more things than people may think.

In the world of medicine, quantum computers have the capacity to treat patients based on genetic makeup according to Forbes. This can be a huge step towards finding a cure for cancer because rather than treating a cancer affected area, it can target the cells directly to stop cancer at its’ roots.

Facial recognition can also see some major advances because in traditional computers, the algorithms used to train facial recognition are meant to train the program to identify key features like hair color, skin tone, hair length, and facial structure. In traditional computers if one mistake is identified, it can jeopardize the entire learning process of the algorithm making it useless. The quantum computers can identify and correct mistakes that tradition algorithms have problems with making facial recognition much more applicable. According to Wired.

Although quantum computers are still quite new on the scene they have limitless potential. That combined with large teams working on projects and google. These computers can become everyday items for the consumer.