MilestoneHardwareConfirmed

David DiVincenzo lists the requirements for building a quantum computer

Feb 25, 2000

In a paper posted in February 2000, IBM physicist David DiVincenzo set out five requirements for a quantum computer: scalable qubits that can be reset, stay stable long enough, be controlled with a universal set of gates and be read out, plus two more for sending quantum information.

Why it matters

The checklist became a common yardstick for judging whether a hardware approach, from trapped ions to superconducting circuits, could lead to a working quantum computer.

David P. DiVincenzo · IBM

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