  It is expected that quantum computers would enable solving various problems
that are beyond the capabilities of the most powerful current supercomputers,
which are based on classical technologies. In the last three decades, advances
in quantum computing stimulated significant interest in this field from
industry, investors, media, executives, and general public. However, the
understanding of this technology, its current capabilities and its potential
impact in these communities is still lacking. Closing this gap requires a
complete picture of how to assess quantum computing devices' performance and
estimate their potential, a task made harder by the variety of quantum
computing models and physical platforms. Here we review the state of the art in
quantum computing, promising computational models and the most developed
physical platforms. We also discuss potential applications, the requirements
posed by these applications and technological pathways towards addressing these
requirements. Finally, we summarize and analyze the arguments for the quantum
computing market's further exponential growth. The review is written in a
simple language without equations, and should be accessible to readers with no
advanced background in mathematics and physics.
