The results of one recent test of quantum computers came out in June 2023, when IBM researchers published a paper in the journal Nature. Their paper detailed an experiment simulating a system with an array of tiny flipping magnets evolving over time. The researchers claimed that this simulation was only feasible with a quantum computer, not a classical one. After learning about the new paper through press coverage, Tindall decided to take up the challenge.

Tindall has been working with colleagues over the last several years to develop better algorithms and codes for solving complex quantum problems with classical computers. He applied these methods to IBM's simulation, and in just two weeks he proved he could solve the problem with very little computing power—it could even be done on a smartphone.

Serendipitously, IBM had, in their initial test, set up a problem where the organization of the magnets in a closed two-dimensional array led to confinement. Tindall and Sels realized that since the confinement of the system reduced the amount of entanglement, it kept the problem simple enough to be described by classical methods. Using simulations and mathematical calculations, Tindall and Sels came up with a simple, accurate mathematical model that describes this behavior.