Quantum computation is a hot topic these days with many groups vying to build actual devices. In this colloquium I will introduce the field of quantum computation and show that some hurdles remain before we can build a practical general purpose quantum computer.
Quantum simulation as foreseen by Richard Feynman some 40 years ago is a valid intermediate goal on our road towards building a full-fledged quantum computer. I will go through notable proposals and results on quantum simulations in the field of quantum optics.