History
| The
idea of a computer that used quantum mechanics to
perform operations on data was originally proposed by a physicist named Richard Feynman in 1982. |
|
The interest in
building a quantum computer was not high until a
mathematician named
Peter Shor created what is now known as "Shor's Algorithm". The algorithm finds the prime factors of large numbers very quickly. A quantum computer using this algorithm can crack codes very easily and could essentially make encryption obsolete. |
 |
| In
2001, Shor's algorithm was implemented on a quantum computer for the first time. The computer found the prime factors of 15 (3 and 5). |
|
In 2011, D-Wave became the first company in the world to sell quantum computers. |
 Picture from: http://www.dwavesys.com/d-wave-two-system |