Google has demonstrated the use of quantum algorithms* by creating a detector that has learned to spot cars by looking at example pictures.

“Unfortunately, it is not easy to demonstrate that a multi-qubit system such as the D-Wave chip indeed exhibits the desired quantum behavior and experimental physicists from various institutions are still in the process of characterizing the chip,” Hartmut Neven, Google Technical Lead Manager Image Recognition, advised.

*Quantum algorithms are computer programs that run on quantum computers, which use quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers use devices that trap particles such as electrons to act as quantum bits (qubits) by switching the particles from one state (such as up or down) to another. Quantum computers promise faster processing than conventional computers for certain classes of problems.