Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1312.4455 · Complexity

Universe as quantum computer

Seth Lloyd

Published Sep 1, 1997• 34 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This article reviews the history of digital computation, and investigates just how far the concept of computation can be taken. In particular, I address the question of whether the universe itself is in fact a giant computer, and if so, just what kind of computer it is. I will show that the universe can be regarded as a giant quantum computer. The quantum computational model of the universe explains a variety of observed phenomena not encompassed by the ordinary laws of physics. In particular, the model shows that the the quantum computational universe automatically gives rise to a mix of randomness and order, and to both simple and complex systems.

DOI
10.1002/(sici)1099-0526(199709/10)3:1<32::aid-cplx10>3.0.co;2-x

Related papers

The Universe as Quantum Computer

Seth Lloyd

This article reviews the history of digital computation, and investigates just how far the concept of computation can be taken.In particular, I address the question of whether the universe itself is in fact a giant computer, and if so, just what kind of computer it is.I will show that the universe can be regarded as a giant quantum computer.The quantum computational model of the universe explains a variety of observed phenomena not encompassed by the ordinary laws of physics.In particular, the model shows that the the quantum computational universe automatically gives rise to a mix of randomness and order, and to both simple and complex systems.

WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks•Oct 18, 2012•81 citations

Using Quantum Computers to Learn Physics

Nathan Wiebe

Since its inception at the beginning of the twentieth century, quantum mechanics has challenged our conceptions of how the universe ought to work; however, the equations of quantum mechanics can be too computationally difficult to solve using existing computers for even modestly large systems. Here I will show that quantum computers can sometimes be used to address such problems and that quantum computer science can assign formal complexities to learning facts about nature. Hence, computer science should not only be regarded as an applied science; it is also of central importance to the foundations of science.

arXiv:1401.4507•Jan 18, 2014•1 citation

The Universe is not a Computer

K. B. Wharton

When we want to predict the future, we compute it from what we know about the present. Specifically, we take a mathematical representation of observed reality, plug it into some dynamical equations, and then map the time-evolved result back to real-world predictions. But while this computational process can tell us what we want to know, we have taken this procedure too literally, implicitly assuming that the universe must compute itself in the same manner. Physical theories that do not follow this computational framework are deemed illogical, right from the start. But this anthropocentric assumption has steered our physical models into an impossible corner, primarily because of quantum phenomena. Meanwhile, we have not been exploring other models in which the universe is not so limited. In fact, some of these alternate models already have a well-established importance, but are thought to be mathematical tricks without physical significance. This essay argues that only by dropping our assumption that the universe is a computer can we fully develop such models, explain quantum phenomena, and understand the workings of our universe. (This essay was awarded third prize in the 2012 FQXi essay contest; a new afterword compares and contrasts this essay with Robert Spekkens' first prize entry.)

arXiv:1211.7081•Nov 29, 2012•0 citations

Focus: If the Universe Were a Computer

JR Minkel

The Universe may be described as a giant quantum computer, according to a researcher who calculates its total computing power.

•May 24, 2002•1 citation

Can the clicks of the detectors provide a complete description of Nature?

Ovidiu Cristinel Stoica

No matter how counterintuitive they are, quantum phenomena are all simple consequences of the laws of Quantum Mechanics. It is not needed to extend the theory with hidden mechanisms or additional principles to explain what Quantum Mechanics already predicts. This indubitable fact is often taken as supporting the view that all we can know about the universe comes from the outcomes of the quantum observations. According to this view, we can even learn the physical laws, in particular the properties of the space, particles, fields, and interactions, solely from the outcomes of the quantum observations. In this article it is shown that the unitary symmetry of the laws of Quantum Mechanics imposes severe restrictions in learning the physical laws of the universe, if we know only the observables and their outcomes.

arXiv:1402.3285•Feb 13, 2014•1 citation

Random Quantum Circuits

Matthew P. A. Fisher, Vedika Khemani, Adam Nahum +1 more

Quantum circuits—built from local unitary gates and local measurements—are a new playground for quantum many-body physics and a tractable setting to explore universal collective phenomena far from equilibrium. These models have shed light on longstanding questions about thermalization and chaos, and on the underlying universal dynamics of quantum information and entanglement. In addition, such models generate new sets of questions and give rise to phenomena with no traditional analog, such as dynamical phase transitions in quantum systems that are monitored by an external observer. Quantum circuit dynamics is also topical in view of experimental progress in building digital quantum simulators that allow control of precisely these ingredients. Randomness in the circuit elements allows a high level of theoretical control, with a key theme being mappings between real-time quantum dynamics and effective classical lattice models or dynamical processes. Many of the universal phenomena that can be identified in this tractable setting apply to much wider classes of more structured many-body dynamics.

arXiv:2207.14280•Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics•Dec 12, 2022•458 citations
This article reviews the history of digital computation, and investigates just how far the concept of computation can be taken. In particular, I address the question of whether the universe itself is in fact a giant computer, and if so, just what kind of computer it is. I will show that the universe can be regarded as a giant quantum computer. The quantum computational model of the universe explains a variety of observed phenomena not encompassed by the ordinary laws of physics. In particular, the model shows that the the quantum computational universe automatically gives rise to a mix of randomness and order, and to both simple and complex systems.
This article reviews the history of digital computation, and investigates just how far the concept of computation can be taken.In particular, I address the question of whether the universe itself is in fact a giant computer, and if so, just what kind of computer it is.I will show that the universe can be regarded as a giant quantum computer.The quantum computational model of the universe explains a variety of observed phenomena not encompassed by the ordinary laws of physics.In particular, the model shows that the the quantum computational universe automatically gives rise to a mix of randomness and order, and to both simple and complex systems.
Since its inception at the beginning of the twentieth century, quantum mechanics has challenged our conceptions of how the universe ought to work; however, the equations of quantum mechanics can be too computationally difficult to solve using existing computers for even modestly large systems. Here I will show that quantum computers can sometimes be used to address such problems and that quantum computer science can assign formal complexities to learning facts about nature. Hence, computer science should not only be regarded as an applied science; it is also of central importance to the foundations of science.
When we want to predict the future, we compute it from what we know about the present. Specifically, we take a mathematical representation of observed reality, plug it into some dynamical equations, and then map the time-evolved result back to real-world predictions. But while this computational process can tell us what we want to know, we have taken this procedure too literally, implicitly assuming that the universe must compute itself in the same manner. Physical theories that do not follow this computational framework are deemed illogical, right from the start. But this anthropocentric assumption has steered our physical models into an impossible corner, primarily because of quantum phenomena. Meanwhile, we have not been exploring other models in which the universe is not so limited. In fact, some of these alternate models already have a well-established importance, but are thought to be mathematical tricks without physical significance. This essay argues that only by dropping our assumption that the universe is a computer can we fully develop such models, explain quantum phenomena, and understand the workings of our universe. (This essay was awarded third prize in the 2012 FQXi essay contest; a new afterword compares and contrasts this essay with Robert Spekkens' first prize entry.)
No matter how counterintuitive they are, quantum phenomena are all simple consequences of the laws of Quantum Mechanics. It is not needed to extend the theory with hidden mechanisms or additional principles to explain what Quantum Mechanics already predicts. This indubitable fact is often taken as supporting the view that all we can know about the universe comes from the outcomes of the quantum observations. According to this view, we can even learn the physical laws, in particular the properties of the space, particles, fields, and interactions, solely from the outcomes of the quantum observations. In this article it is shown that the unitary symmetry of the laws of Quantum Mechanics imposes severe restrictions in learning the physical laws of the universe, if we know only the observables and their outcomes.
Quantum circuits—built from local unitary gates and local measurements—are a new playground for quantum many-body physics and a tractable setting to explore universal collective phenomena far from equilibrium. These models have shed light on longstanding questions about thermalization and chaos, and on the underlying universal dynamics of quantum information and entanglement. In addition, such models generate new sets of questions and give rise to phenomena with no traditional analog, such as dynamical phase transitions in quantum systems that are monitored by an external observer. Quantum circuit dynamics is also topical in view of experimental progress in building digital quantum simulators that allow control of precisely these ingredients. Randomness in the circuit elements allows a high level of theoretical control, with a key theme being mappings between real-time quantum dynamics and effective classical lattice models or dynamical processes. Many of the universal phenomena that can be identified in this tractable setting apply to much wider classes of more structured many-body dynamics.