ISTANBUL: Researchers in Taiwan claimed to have developed the world's smallest quantum computer, marking the first use of a single photon to execute quantum algorithms.??????? The team of researchers led by Professor Chuu Chih-sung at Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) have demonstrated the box-sized computer's ability, Focus Taiwan reported on Thursday. Chuu explained that his team's exceptionally small quantum computer encodes information into "32 time-bins or dimensions" within the wave packet of a single high-dimensional photon, a fundamental particle in electromagnetic interactions Photons not only maintain stable quantum states at room temperature, reducing energy costs compared to quantum computers requiring cooling, but also enable long-distance information transmission with minimal interference, providing significant advantages for commercial applications, he added. Chuu's colleague Mou Chung-yu, director of NTHU's College of Science, said the photonic quantum computing will "eventuall y be applied across various fields, including drug development, logistics optimization, data security, and artificial intelligence." Taiwan, an island nation of around 24 million people, is a lead manufacturer of high-tech items including computers and semiconductor items. The island nation also ranks first across Asia in internet freedom.??????? Source: Anadolu Agency