It measures only 5 microns in diameter, has a thickness of 300 nanometers and has been made by scientists from the University of Melbourne as a component in a device for producing and detecting single photons. There is no diamond mounted on the ring, the ring itself is an artificially made diamond. The scientists chose diamond as the perfect material for this component as it looks like diamond is an excellent electrical insulator and heat conductor, and seems that it would be a great host for qubits.
Qubits are a special kind of bits, that can have a value of 1 and 0 at the same time. The researchers from Center for Quantum Computer Technology, the ones that are doing the fundamental studies on qubits are the group that could set the basics for creating the first quantum computer. For that, there is lots and lots of work to be done, starting with studying and implementing a great deal of optical networking, that will enable qubits to be entangled, to work together, as a system. This system will be a sort of CPU, to compare them to a standard computer`s architecture from this decade.
After this stage, which will not be completed too soon, trust me, the other PC hardware corporations will need to adapt their products to the needs of a super-processor like this, which will require, again, a pretty long time, if you think of the level of technology a device like this would imply. This development appears to be the far future of PCs, and I can only hope that my grandchildren will benefit from it.
