Quantum computers of the future may be closer to reality thanks to new research from Caltech and Oratomic, a Caltech-linked start-up company. Theorists and experimentalists teamed up to develop a new approach for reducing the errors that riddle today's rudimentary quantum computers.

Today, Oratomic, a startup founded by pioneers of fault-tolerant quantum computing and neutral-atom technology, launches with a mission to build utility-scale quantum computers by the end of the decade.

A new quantum system called giant superatoms could protect quantum information and enable entanglement between multiple qubits. The concept merges giant atoms and superatoms to improve stability and scalability for future quantum technologies.

Quantum computers could solve certain problems that would take traditional classical computers an impractically long time to solve. At the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), researchers are now working to make these systems reliable and trustworthy.

Pure plays such as IonQ and Rigetti Computing dominate the quantum computing narrative, but one member of the "Magnificent Seven" may be the better buy.

Quantum decryption may still be years away, but small and midsize businesses can take practical steps today to protect sensitive data without overwhelming limited IT resources.