Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2024

2025

Photograph, Quantum computer

This is a Photograph. It was photographed by Christopher Payne and subject: IBM.

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Christopher Payne as part of Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne.

It is dated 2017. Its medium is digital pigment print. It is a part of the Exhibitions department.


Quantum computers are a powerful new type of computer that uses quantum mechanics to solve very complex problems significantly faster than traditional computers. To minimize vibrations and thermal "noise", quantum computers are suspended like chandeliers from the ceiling at ultra-low temperatures.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 101.6 × 77.5 cm (40 × 30 1/2 in.) H x W (framed dimensions): 106.7 × 82.6 cm (42 × 32 1/2 in.)

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318812183/ |title=Photograph, Quantum computer |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 December 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>