The world's fastest computer

Google is building the world's fastest computer 

The internet search company announced a new partnership with researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara to develop "quantum computing" technology.

The science behind quantum computing is highly technical and still very theoretical. In simple terms, quantum computers make use of quantum bits to process information, as opposed to the binary system of ones and zeros used by traditional computer processors.

China is currently home to the world's fastest computer, the Tianhe-2 supercomputer, which is capable of nearly 55 quadrillion of calculations per second. A quantum computer could make that look like a snail.

The search giant has already been working with scientists at D-Wave Systems on a quantum computer system. D-Wave is developing what some call the first commercially viable quantum computer, the "Vesuvius." It is also working with NASA on a 1,000 qubit "Washington" processor.