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"Science fiction has gotten more accurate as we've gotten closer to the present, because science fiction stories have not only attracted, but also generated current scientists."
- Larry Niven

CTC Computer (Closed-Timeline-Curve Time-Travel)  
  A device that used time travel to perform computations.  

But Nilis had assigned her to another part of the project, the development of his "CTC computer" as he called it, his closed-timeline-curve time-travel computing machine. Nilis made it clear that he considered the CTC-processor work just as important as experiments with the Xeelee ship, and she had to accept the assignment.
Technovelgy from Exultant, by Stephen Baxter.
Published by Del Rey in 2004
Additional resources -

I have room for one more enigmatic quote:

The curves in time had served their purpose - and had rendered their own existence unnecessary. It was another peculiar advantage of a time-travel computer. If it worked correctly, it never actually worked at all a- and so it should never wear out.

Closed timelike curves were theorized by Kurt Gödel in 1949. Here's a link to a 2002 article on Computers with closed timelike curves can solve hard problems. Good luck.

Thanks to Winchell Chung (@nyrath) of Project Rho for the suggestion on this item.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Exultant
  More Ideas and Technology by Stephen Baxter
  Tech news articles related to Exultant
  Tech news articles related to works by Stephen Baxter

CTC Computer (Closed-Timeline-Curve Time-Travel)-related news articles:
  - The Time-Traveling Quantum Computer

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