John Clarke, Michel H Devoret and John M Martinis have won the Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of quantum mechanical effects that lay the ground for a potential new generation of powerful computers, sensors and encryption technology.

The three researchers will share SKr11mn ($1.17mn) for showing how strange quantum phenomena could be exploited in real-world electronic devices, the Nobel Assembly said on Tuesday as it announced the second of its three annual science awards.

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