From Foundations to Infrastructure – Part 2: Algorithms
In 1994, Professor Peter Shor introduced an algorithm that forever changed the course of quantum computing. Shor's algorithm showed that a quantum computer could factor very large integers in polynomial time—a task for which no efficient classical algorithm is known. For the first time, quantum computing had a compelling practical application, transforming it from a scientific curiosity into one of the most important technologies of the 21st century.