Google announced the development of its new quantum computing chip, Willow.
The company said Willow can solve math problems in five minutes, which would take a typical supercomputer 10 seven billion years, a period exceeding the age of the universe by several times.
A leap forward
The key milestone Google achieved was the Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark.
A “qubit” is the basic unit of information in a quantum computer. Historically, the more qubits a quantum computer used, the more errors it produced. However, Google says its latest advances have reversed this trend. Now, as the system evolves, errors decrease.
“What we were able to do in quantum error correction is a very important step,” said Julian Kelly, director of quantum hardware at Google Quantum AI. “This has been an exceptional challenge for 30 years, since the idea of quantum error correction was conceived in the mid-1990s.”
The potential implications are vast. Google says quantum computing could eventually be used to develop new pharmaceuticals, accelerate clean energy technologies and advance cybersecurity. The technology’s ability to process vast data sets at unprecedented speeds could also have a significant impact on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Challenges of practical use
Despite this progress, practical applications remain distant. Most experts agree that fully fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of handling real-world applications are still years away.
One of the major challenges is to increase the number of qubits while keeping error rates low. Current quantum systems, including Google’s Willow, use logical qubits, that is, sets of physical qubits working together to reduce errors. Google’s demonstration showed that as the size of logical qubits increases, error rates decrease. However, creating a single logical qubit can require hundreds or even thousands of physical qubits. To create truly useful quantum systems, experts estimate that millions of physical qubits will be needed. This introduces significant complexity in terms of hardware, cooling systems and error correction protocols.
Another challenge is the limited scope of problems that quantum computers can currently solve. The Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark used to test Willow is largely considered a technical demonstration rather than a practical tool for real-world applications. This does not directly translate to commercial uses or prove that the system can tackle industry-relevant tasks.
Market reaction
The market reaction to this announcement was rapid. Alphabet’s stock rose more than 5% on Tuesday and is up more than 33% year to date. Analysts suggest that Google’s clear lead in quantum error correction could strengthen its advantage over rivals, including IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon and Honeywell.
Hartmut Neven, founder and head of Google Quantum AI, said: “[Q]Quantum processors are breaking out at a doubly exponential rate and will continue to vastly outperform classical computers as we grow.
