2025 Nobel Prize in Physics Honors Quantum Computing Pioneers
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has gone to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for their groundbreaking work that laid the foundation for modern quantum computers.
Their research revealed how quantum particles can tunnel through solid barriers, a mysterious behavior that drives the superconducting circuits used in today’s most advanced quantum machines.
“I’m completely stunned,” said Clarke after learning about the award. “It never occurred to me that this could lead to a Nobel Prize.”
From Quantum Tunneling to Qubits
Quantum particles behave in strange ways. They can exist in multiple states at once and sometimes slip through barriers they shouldn’t—an effect called quantum tunneling.
In 1985, while working at the University of California, Berkeley, the trio studied these effects using Josephson junctions—superconducting circuits separated by thin insulating layers.
Their experiments showed that charged particles in these circuits acted as single quantum systems with distinct energy levels. The results proved that quantum mechanics applies to complex electronic systems, not just isolated atoms.
This finding transformed how scientists understood and built superconducting quantum circuits, paving the way for the qubit, the fundamental unit of quantum computing.
A Legacy That Powers the Future
Today, major companies like Google and IBM use superconducting qubits based on their work. In 2019, Google’s quantum computer achieved “quantum advantage,” demonstrating power beyond classical machines.
Reflecting on the achievement, Clarke said, “Our discovery is, in some ways, the basis of quantum computing.”
