Are quantum computers now advanced enough to need operating systems?

Quantum computers need operating systems – so one start-up is developing its own quantum version of Microsoft Windows.

The hardware for quantum computers has progressed rapidly. Five years ago, few of these machines contained more than 20 quantum bits, or qubits – the building blocks of quantum computers – whereas today devices with more than 100 qubits are increasingly common. But in order to actually make calculations, those qubits require quantum software.

The “quantum stack” –…