Pittsburgh Builds Tomorrow: Pittsburgh Is Getting a Quantum Computer. Here's Why It Matters!

Pittsburgh is getting a quantum computer. But what exactly does that mean, how does quantum computing work, and why is Pittsburgh one of the places helping push this strange and potentially transformative technology forward?

In the debut episode of Pittsburgh Builds Tomorrow, TechVibe's Jonathan Kersting takes a decidedly non-physicist trip into the world of qubits, quantum entanglement, superposition and computers that operate at temperatures colder than outer space.

Along the way, University of Pittsburgh Senior Vice Chancellor for Research Rob Rutenbar helps explain why quantum computing is moving from science fiction to engineering, with potential applications ranging from cybersecurity and financial services to drug discovery, advanced materials and medicine.

And there's a distinctly Pittsburgh story behind it all. The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center has spent four decades pushing the boundaries of high-performance computing. Now the region is taking another big swing as it prepares to bring quantum computing into that ecosystem.

Come for the qubits. Stay for Einstein's "spooky action at a distance," the million-dollar refrigerator and a computer that looks like it belongs in Versailles.

Pittsburgh Builds Tomorrow explores the people, technologies and big ideas shaping what comes next for Pittsburgh.

Listen to Rob's entire interview here.