2025 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis for quantum discoveries

Guwahati: The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced in Stockholm on Tuesday, October 7.

Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said, “It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the way that century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises. It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology.”

The Nobel committee highlighted that quantum mechanics underpins technologies around us, including transistors in computer microchips.

This year’s award emphasizes the potential of quantum discoveries to shape the next generation of technologies such as quantum computers, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensors.

Last year, John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton won the Physics Nobel “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

The 2025 Nobel Prize announcements began on Monday, October 7, with the Physiology or Medicine Prize awarded jointly to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for identifying regulatory T cells, the immune system’s key security guards. The Chemistry Nobel will be announced on October 8, followed by the Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences Prizes on October 9, 10, and 13, respectively.

Each Nobel Prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (around ?1.03 crore) and will be formally presented on December 10.

The Nobel Prize was established by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who stipulated in his will that his estate should fund “prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”