The machine is powered by just one photon, or light particle, embedded in a ring-shaped optical fiber, the scientists wrote in a study published in the journal Physical Review Applied. The machine is a proof of concept and can complete mathematical operations such as prime number factorization — such as 15 = 5 x 3.

In the new study, the scientists built a machine that can process calculations at room temperature. And because it doesn't need to be chilled, it is the size of a typical desktop PC. The quantum computer stores information in "32 time-bins or dimensions" within the wave packet of a single photon, study lead author Chuu, Chih-sung, professor of quantum optics at the Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, said in a translated statement. This is a world record for the number of computing dimensions that can be accessed by a single qubit, he added.