As far as emerging tech goes, 2021 was the year of many things: the metaverse, crypto, climate tech, EVs, space.

It was also a year that saw quite a bit of activity in quantum computing. Though the technology still remains at least a decade out from commercialization, per Rand research, 2021 saw the field reach several milestones in service of that bigger goal.

Let’s look back…

100-qubit barrier: In November, IBM claimed to have produced the world’s most powerful quantum computer yet, thanks to its new 127-qubit processor named Eagle. The previous record-holder was also an IBM invention, a 65-qubit processor called Hummingbird. (Reminder: A qubit is the quantum equivalent of a bit in classical computing, and the more qubits you have, the more powerful your machine.)

Funding: Global quantum computing funding soared to $1.7 billion in 2021, per McKinsey analysis of Pitchbook data, more than double the $700 million raised in 2020.

Deals: As is only natural in this day and age, there were several quantum computing SPACs in the past year. In October, IonQ SPAC’d at a $2 billion valuation. A few days later, another US–based quantum-computing company named Rigetti SPAC’d as well, at a $1.5 billion valuation.

• But in addition to the reverse mergers, we also saw a traditional one: In late November, Honeywell’s quantum-computing division merged with a leading quantum-software maker to create a company called Quantinuum.

Big picture: Given the relatively lengthy path to practicality (and, ultimately, profit) and the record levels of funding flowing into the space, there’s concern about the potential emergence of a “quantum winter,” akin to the AI winters of yore.

“Some quantum industry trackers and startup founders are concerned that the current level of private startup activity in quantum technology may be excessive and premature and that unreasonably high expectations may lead to a sudden crash in investment in a few years,” Rand wrote in its report.

Click here to read the full story.—DM

In no particular order, here are 21 of the stories you all seemed to really enjoy across the year. They span everything from woolly-mammoth revival to large language models, and whether you missed them the first time around or want to read again, we hope something from the below list resonates with you today.

1. Your Guide to Autonomous Vehicles
2. Nine experts on the single biggest obstacle facing AI in the next five years
3. What we get wrong about machines taking our jobs
4. Your Guide to the Cloud
5. The US wants to get better at manufacturing chips. That’s no easy task.
6. How a smartphone chip powered NASA’s historic flight on Mars
7. Amex’s fraud detection AI was ready to go live. Then Covid hit.
8. We spent two days riding Waymo’s driverless taxis and it felt surprisingly normal
9. How Airbnb failed its own anti-discrimination team—and let racial disparities slip through the cracks
10. Your Guide to Robotics
11. Weed farmers are using drones as crop cops
12. Roblox’s metaverse is already here, and it’s wildly popular
13. A Q&A with Tony Yen, VP of tech development at ASML
14. CarbonCapture is one step closer to pulling CO2 from the atmosphere
15. Tech is improving at an exponential rate. Here’s what that means for society.
16. In a patch of Arizona, everyone knows Waymo. But few use it.
17. A lithium shortage is coming, and automakers might be unprepared

Stat: Nearly 60% of the world has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Quote: “What is the dialogue that needs to happen between and across society about what technologies we develop and in what direction? And what kind of risk are we willing to take at each point of the journey?”—Azeem Azhar, tech analyst, entrepreneur, and author to Emerging Tech Brew

Read: 2021’s biggest scientific breakthroughs.

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Some of our favorite pieces of emerging tech-related media, from us to you.

Dan’s rec: A power struggle over cobalt rattles the clean-energy revolution (New York Times)

Grace’s rec: How We Survive, a climate-tech podcast (NPR Marketplace)

Hayden’s rec: Training self-driving cars for $1 an hour (Rest of World)

Jordan’s rec: Matter’s plan to save the smart home (The Verge)

The most ridiculous (true!) headlines from this year.

• Amazon is helping climate researchers study how to dim the sun.
• The FTC is investigating McDonald’s because its McFlurry machines are always broken.
• Drones are getting into bowling.
• Hackers made off with the source code to EA Sports’s FIFA 21 video game.