Photonic Quantum Computers Enlighten the World: A review of their development, types, and applications

It has been demonstrated that the photonic quantum computer is significantly faster than conventional supercomputers and that the practical quantum computer is one of the most promising ways to solve real-life problems. In this article, the development of photonic quantum computers and their potential applications are summarized, and three types of photonic quantum computing machines are detailed, including photonic quantum machines, coherent Ising machines (CIMs), and programmable photonic quantum computers. The photonic quantum industry, together with some start-up companies in associated application fields, are profiled. Compared with superconducting and ion traps, photonic quantum computing has its own advantages and disadvantages. It will be seen whether photonic quantum computer companies can capture a share of the future quantum computing market. The major challenges lie in the scalability of photonic systems and their adaptation and integration with silicon (Si) systems.