The systems, devices, articles, and methods generally relate to sampling from an available probability distribution. The samples maybe used to create a desirable probability distribution, for instance for use in computing values used in computational techniques including: Importance Sampling and Markov chain Monte Carlo systems. An analog processor may operate as a sample generator, for example by: programming the analog processor with a configuration of the number of programmable parameters for the analog processor, which corresponds to a probability distribution over qubits of the analog processor, evolving the analog processor, and reading out states for the qubits. The states for the qubits in the plurality of qubits correspond to a sample from the probability distribution. Operation of the sampling device may be summarized as including updating a set of samples to include the sample from the probability distribution, and returning the set of samples.