quantum computer

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noun

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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Origin of quantum computer

First recorded in 1980–85

OTHER WORDS FROM quantum computer

quantum computing, noun

Words nearby quantum computer

Quantrill, quantum, quantum bit, quantum chemistry, quantum chromodynamics, quantum computer, quantum cryptography, quantum efficiency, quantum electrodynamics, quantum electronics, quantum field theory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quantum computer in a sentence

Parallel processing, something our brains do very well but that stumps modern computers, has been scientists’ stretch goal for quantum computers since the 1990s.
This ‘Quantum Brain’ Would Mimic Our Own to Speed Up AI|Shelly Fan|February 9, 2021|Singularity Hub
Last year, startup Universal Quantum announced plans to build a modular quantum computer out of a network of many smaller units using trapped-ion qubits.
Connecting Distant Qubits Just Brought Distributed Quantum Computing Closer|Edd Gent|February 8, 2021|Singularity Hub
Using them to solve practical nonlinear problems requires quantum computers with thousands of qubits to minimize error and noise — far beyond what’s possible today.
New Quantum Algorithms Finally Crack Nonlinear Equations|Max G. Levy|January 5, 2021|Quanta Magazine
The new quantum computer, called Jiŭzhāng, is a bit like the child of Deep Thought.
New Quantum Computer in China Claims Quantum Advantage With Light|Jason Dorrier|December 6, 2020|Singularity Hub

The researchers have built a quantum computer prototype that is able to detect up to 76 photons through Gaussian boson sampling, a standard simulation algorithm, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing research published in Science magazine.
Chinese scientists say they’ve achieved a quantum computing breakthrough|Claire Zillman, reporter|December 4, 2020|Fortune

British Dictionary definitions for quantum computer

quantum computer

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for quantum computer

quantum computer

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.