How even small but frequent disruptions can cause quantum computers to fail. Quantum computers are expected to tackle difficult tasks more quickly and with less energy than current supercomputers, including molecular simulations and complex logistics planning. Adiabatic designs face a hidden limit“The quantum Zeno effect is a previously overlooked obstacle to a certain class of quantum computers,” says Dr. Gernot Schaller, head of Quantum Technologies at HZDR’s Institute of Theoretical Physics. The concern applies to adiabatic quantum computers, which keep their qubits in the ground state, meaning the lowest available energy state. Reference: “Quantum Zeno effect versus adiabatic quantum computing and quantum annealing” by Naser Ahmadiniaz, Dennis Kraft, Gernot Schaller and Ralf Schützhold, 29 May 2026, New Journal of Physics.