Part 2/13:
The journey toward 2026 has been characterized by rapid, exponential progress across multiple domains. Quantum hardware has matured significantly, with companies like IBM achieving fault-tolerant quantum processors such as their Condor chip, which reaches 1,000 logical qubits with near-perfect fidelity. Google has pioneered quantum-AI hybrid chips, seamlessly integrating quantum and classical processing, while Microsoft has made error-free quantum computation feasible by developing topological qubits that eliminate decoherence — a primary challenge in quantum hardware stability.