Quantum computers are, unarguably, the next great evolutionary step in the development of computing tech. Their successful creation will be a paradigm shifting achievement—one that will alter the future of humanity and revolutionize operations across a broad spectrum of applications.

And in case you missed it, we just took a massive leap forward into this new realm.

Last week, in a stunning reveal at the 2017 International Conference on Quantum Technologies, held in Moscow, Russia, the co-founder of the Russian Quantum Center and head of the Lukin Group of the Quantum Optics Laboratory at Harvard University, Mikhail Lukin, announced that his team had successfully built a 51-qubit quantum computer.

A press release was distributed to conference attendants shortly after the announcement stating that Lukin’s team “created and successfully tested a programmable 51-qubit quantum computer, thus becoming the leader among those engaged in the quantum race.”

The announcement was made a few hours before the main event of the conference, a public talk by John Martinis, the man in charge of building Google’s 49-qubit quantum computer (the timing of Lukin’s reveal was, no doubt, very intentional).

Futurism was fortunate enough to be present at the conference in Moscow at the moment of this historic announcement and spoke with Professor Lukin about this achievement. Notably, his group was one of two teams that created the first ever time crystals back at the start of this year. Before diving into his exciting announcement, we asked a little about his research in that area and how it applies to quantum computing.

To read more, click here.