The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for their pioneering research in quantum mechanics — work that laid the foundation for the development of next-generation quantum computers.
The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences during a press conference in Stockholm. The trio will share the prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately £872,000).
The Nobel Committee recognised the three physicists for their “discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit,” a breakthrough that has profoundly influenced modern electronics and computing technology.
“There is no advanced technology used today that does not rely on quantum mechanics, including mobile phones, cameras, and fibre optic cables,” the committee said, highlighting the far-reaching applications of the field.
John Clarke, born in Cambridge, UK, and now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, expressed surprise at the honour. “To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life,” he said. “At the time, we did not realise that our work might one day form the basis for a Nobel Prize.”
His co-laureates, Michel H. Devoret from Paris, France, currently a professor at Yale University, and John M. Martinis, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, were similarly recognised for their experimental work in the 1980s.
Their research focused on how electrons behave in quantum systems — particularly their ability to “tunnel” through barriers that classical physics deems impenetrable. This phenomenon, known as quantum tunnelling, demonstrated that electrons could pass through energy barriers, defying conventional expectations. The trio’s experiments showed that these quantum effects could occur not just in subatomic systems but also in macroscopic electrical circuits.
“This discovery is the basis for much of the progress being made today in quantum computing,” said Prof. Clarke, speaking by phone moments after learning of the award. “Many people are now working on quantum computers, and it’s remarkable to see how our early experiments contributed to that.”
Experts in the field praised the decision. “This is wonderful news and very well deserved,” said Professor Lesley Cohen, Associate Provost in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London. “Their work laid the foundations for superconducting qubits — one of the main hardware technologies behind today’s quantum technologies.”
This year’s award continues a legacy of recognising breakthroughs that reshape scientific understanding. Recent Nobel laureates in physics include Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield (2024) for advances in artificial intelligence, and Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier (2023) for their research on ultrafast light pulses.
