Google Launches Quantum Computing Playground

Google has added a new tool to its gallery of online tools known as the Chrome Experiments. The new Quantum Computing Playground offers access to a computing environment that simulates the behavior of a quantum computer. According to Google, the Quantum Computing Playground “can efficiently simulate quantum registers up to 22qbits, run Grover’s and Shor’s algorithms, and has a variety of quantum gates built into the scripting language itself.”
Google believes this online quantum computing simulator will let scientists begin to experiment with quantum programming before a real, fully functional quantum computer reaches the market. Google recommends using the Chrome browser if you with to experiment with the Quantum Computing Playground. You’ll also need a graphics card that supports WebGL.
   
You might be thinking that, if the Quantum Computing Playground simulates a quantum computer, behaves like a quantum computer, and executes quantum algorithms, perhaps one could say that it actually is a quantum computer, even if it the hardware does not operate on quantum mechanical principles. That all depends on your definitions, but keep in mind that a simulated quantum computer would not offer any of the astounding speed advantages a real quantum computer can achieve through the superposition of quantum states.