the number of qubits that a quantum computer can handle is continually advancing but is still limited. The exact number of qubits that a quantum computer can handle depends on various factors, including the technology used, the level of coherence and error correction, and the specific implementation.
At that time, quantum computers with a few dozen qubits were available from various companies and research institutions. These early quantum computers were able to perform certain quantum computations and demonstrate quantum phenomena. However, they were limited in terms of scalability, error rates, and susceptibility to noise and decoherence.
There has been rapid progress in the field of quantum computing, and companies like IBM, Google, Microsoft, and others have been working to develop more powerful quantum computers. In recent years, quantum computers with around 50 to 100 qubits have been announced, and efforts are being made to improve their performance, coherence times, and error rates.
It's important to note that the number of qubits alone does not necessarily reflect the computational power or practical usefulness of a quantum computer. Quantum computers also need to have low error rates, high coherence times, and effective error correction to perform complex and reliable computations.
It is worth keeping up with the latest developments in the field of quantum computing as the number of qubits and the capabilities of quantum computers are likely to evolve rapidly.