The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has acquired the government’s first quantum computer thanks to a partnership with British company Orca Computing.<\/p>\n
The MoD will work with Orca to explore applications for quantum technology in defence, and the Ministry will also work with Orca’s small PT-1 quantum computer which Orca says is the first of its kind to be able to operate at room temperature.<\/p>\n
Orca’s quantum computer uses photons or single units of light, to optimize machine learning tasks like image analysis and decision-making.<\/p>\n
Stephen Till, who works for the MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), calls it a “milestone moment” and said access to Orca’s quantum computers will speed up the MoD’s understanding of the technology.<\/p>\n
Orca chief executive Richard Murray described the company’s partnership with the MoD as a “significant vote of confidence.”<\/p>\n
“Our partnership with MoD gives us the type of hands-on, close interaction, working with real hardware which will help us to jointly discover new applications of this revolutionary new technology,” said Murray.<\/p>\n