Srinagar, Dec. 25 -- Four decades ago, physicists were theorizing that the mind-bending mechanics of quantum physics could be harnessed to make a new kind of computer that's exponentially more powerful than conventional machines. A series of breakthroughs has now brought "quantum utility" closer to reality. A race is on to develop machines that are accurate enough to faithfully model the behavior of complex real-world phenomena and deliver a leap forward in fields as varied as drug development, financial modeling and artificial intelligence.

What's the appeal of quantum computers?

They can do things that classical computers can't.Googlerevealed in December that its latest quantum processor, Willow, hadsolved a problemin five minutes tha...