quantum computer

American  

noun

1. a computer that makes use of the quantum states of electrons or other particles to store and process information as quantum bits.

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quantum computer British  

noun

1. a type of computer which uses the ability of quantum systems to be in many different states at once, thus allowing it to perform many different computations simultaneously

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quantum computer Scientific  

1. A computer that exploits the quantum mechanical properties of superposition in order to allow a single operation to act on a large number of pieces of data. In a quantum computer, the data to be manipulated, represented in quantum bits, exists in all possible states simultaneously, in superposition. This allows a single operation to operate over all of these states at once, in contrast with a classical computer, which must carry out an operation for each state separately. Because of the difficulty of creating environments small enough for quantum effects to emerge but sufficiently isolated to prevent interaction with outside influences such as heat, only extremely rudimentary quantum computers currently exist, though algorithms for possible future devices are being developed.

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Other Word Forms

• quantum computing noun

Etymology

Origin of quantum computer

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

As competition intensifies to create the first reliable, large-scale commercial quantum computer, a critical issue has become harder to ignore.

From Science Daily

That means each quantum computer has to operate on its own.

From Barron's

Once those designs were known, they applied the circuits' scalable structure to build much larger simulations directly on a quantum computer.

From Science Daily

Lee '79 P11 P14 Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, explained that a quantum computer's capability depends on two main factors.

From Science Daily

With this method, the UChicago quantum computer that once struggled to reach the Willis Tower could instead connect with a device located outside Salt Lake City, Utah.

From Science Daily