First quantum computer to pack 100 qubits

IBM’s newest quantum-computing chip packs in 127 quantum bits (qubits), making it the first such device to reach 3 digits. But the achievement is only one step in an aggressive agenda boosted by billions of dollars in investments across the industry. IBM and other companies — including the technology behemoths Google and Honeywell, and a slew of well-funded start-ups — ultimately aim to make quantum computers capable of performing certain tasks that are out of reach of even the largest supercomputers that use classical technology.