If you don’t mind peering through a sheet of glass, you can see a Quantum Computer at IBM’s office in Waterloo.

Known as the IBM Quantum System One, it is the first circuit-based commercial quantum computer, launched by IBM in January 2019.

Quantum computers are capable of using the weird world of quantum physics and simplistically, where a standard computer bit can be either a binary One or Zero, a quantum computer can be both at the same time. Thanks to that, it is widely believed that a quantum computer could perform some calculations exponentially faster than any classical computer.

It’s not likely to be something you’ll ever have at home, but they could replace massive supercomputers in handling huge calculations.

They’re also incredibly difficult to build, usually needing to be cooled to super low temperatures to prevent the real world from meddling with the quantum one. This gives them a bit of a steampunk appearance, and you can take a look at one at the moment in Waterloo.

The computer is (said to be) live and in use by companies, so cryogenic cooling keeps the system temperature as close to absolute zero as possible to conserve that precious quantum state.

You can only look at it from the outside, and if you go inside the office, you will be politely but firmly shoo’d back out again. But while standing outside and peering through the office window, you can see the future of supercomputing and working today.

The IBM office is on York Road, a couple of blocks along from Waterloo Station’s tube station entrance.

The quantum computer on display was created in collaboration with London-based studios Map Project Office and Universal Design Studio, and Goppion, a Milan-based manufacturer of high-end museum display cases.