Although it’s still debatable whether a true quantum computer has even been built yet, Google Inc. is already looking to drive the development of new applications and tools for the technology.

The company is reportedly planning to let researchers access its nascent quantum computing technology via the cloud, as part of its plans to eventually introduce a new cloud-based quantum computing service, according to a report Monday from Bloomberg.

The news organization obtained a Google presentation slide detailing the company’s quantum hardware, as well as a new lab it created called the “Embryonic quantum data center.” A second slide obtained by the news organization details something called “ProjectQ,” which refers to an open-source initiative that wants to get “developers to write code for quantum computers.”

If the strategy is true, it would be similar to when Google first began offering cloud services with free access to its processing services for select early adopters.

Google first became serious about quantum computing back in 2013 when it purchased one of the earliest D-Wave quantum computers. Quantum computers work by storing information using “qubits,” which encode data using 0s, 1s and both at the same time, as opposed to traditional computers that use “bits” and can only store data in 0s and 1s. Because they use qubits, quantum computers can manipulate multiple combinations of states at once, which makes them far more powerful than their nonquantum cousins.

Adherents claim that quantum computers should be able to revolutionize computing because they’re theoretically able to solve problems much faster than traditional technology can do. They should also be able to address problems that today’s hardware simply can’t. One benefit of this speed is that developers should be able to reduce the costs associated with using cloud services, simply because they’ll be able to process everything that much faster.

Peter McMahon, a quantum computing researcher at Stanford University, told Bloomberg that Google was “pretty open” about how it’s building its quantum computing hardware, and that he expected to a see a cloud-based service “at some point in the future.”

A cloud service certainly makes sense given the enormous expense of quantum computing hardware and the necessary refrigeration required to keep it operational.

Bloomberg said that to begin with, Google will be offering online access to its quantum computing hardware to select artificial-intelligence researchers. According to one researcher, Google has been “clear about its plans to open up the quantum machinery through its cloud service,” and has promised that government and academic researchers will be allowed to access it for free.

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