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Devoret Wins Nobel for Groundbreaking Quantum Circuit Discoveries

2/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

Michel H. Devoret, physicist, won 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for experiments conducted 40 years ago.
While at University of California, Berkeley, in the 1980s, he demonstrated that quantum mechanics could be observed in visible electrical circuits.
This work laid groundwork for quantum technologies, including computers that may revolutionize drug discovery.
Recently, Devoret and his Google team reported their quantum computer ran an algorithm 13,000 times faster than a supercomputer.

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Story summary

Michel H. Devoret, physicist, won 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for experiments conducted 40 years ago.
While at University of California, Berkeley, in the 1980s, he demonstrated that quantum mechanics could be observed in visible electrical circuits.
This work laid groundwork for quantum technologies, including computers that may revolutionize drug discovery.
Recently, Devoret and his Google team reported their quantum computer ran an algorithm 13,000 times faster than a supercomputer.