The year was 1900 and Max Planck was a young physicist working on the problem of blackbody radiation . This was an intense area of research because the experimental data—the radiation emitted by different types of matter as they were heated—disagreed with what had been predicted by classical physics.

Google's head of quantum thinks we could get real-world applications of quantum computing in just five years, while Nvidia claims it's more like 20.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Google aims to release commercial quantum computing applications within five years, Google's head of quantum told Reuters on Wednesday, in a challenge to Nvidia's predictions of a 20-year wait.

On the heels of some big quantum computing advances in 2024, at least one company is telling businesses to get “quantum ready” this year.