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Devoret Wins Nobel for Quantum Breakthroughs in Electronics

1/3/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Michel H. Devoret, a UC Berkeley physicist, won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for mid-1980s circuit research.
He showed quantum mechanics could be applied to visible electrical circuits, influencing technologies like cellphones and fiber-optic cables.
Devoret and his team at Google reported their quantum computer ran a new algorithm 13,000 times faster than a supercomputer.
Devoret stated that future quantum computers will enable calculations impossible with classical methods.

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Story summary

Michel H. Devoret, a UC Berkeley physicist, won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for mid-1980s circuit research.
He showed quantum mechanics could be applied to visible electrical circuits, influencing technologies like cellphones and fiber-optic cables.
Devoret and his team at Google reported their quantum computer ran a new algorithm 13,000 times faster than a supercomputer.
Devoret stated that future quantum computers will enable calculations impossible with classical methods.