Google’s Willow chip marks breakthrough in quantum computing

Google announced a major step in the development of a commercial quantum computer on Tuesday, releasing test results of its Willow quantum chip.

These results show that the more qubits Google uses in Willow, the more errors are reduced and the more quantum the system becomes.

“Google’s achievement in quantum error correction is a significant milestone toward practical quantum computing,” said Florian Neukert, chief product officer. Terra QuantumA developer of quantum algorithms, computing solutions and security applications in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

“This solves one of the biggest hurdles — maintaining consistency and reducing errors during computation,” he told TechNewsWorld.

Qubits, the basic information units of quantum computing, are highly sensitive to their environment. Any disturbance around them can cause them to lose their quantum properties, called decoherence. Maintaining qubit stability — or coherence — to perform useful calculations over long periods of time is a significant challenge for developers.

Decoherence makes quantum computers error-prone, which is why Google’s announcement is so important. Effective error correction is essential for the development of a practical quantum computer.

“Willow marks an important milestone in the journey toward fault-tolerant quantum computing,” said Rebecca Krauthammer, CEO. QuSecureManufacturer of quantum-safe security solutions in San Mateo, Calif.

“This is one step closer to making quantum systems commercially viable,” he told TechNewsWorld.

Progress toward large-scale quantum computing

In a company blog, Google Vice President of Engineering Hartmut Neven explained that the researchers tested much larger arrays of physical qubits, scaling from 3×3 grids of encoded qubits to 5×5 grids to 7× grids. 7. With each advance, they cut the error rate in half. “In other words, we achieved an exponential reduction in the error rate,” he wrote.

“This historic achievement is known in the field as ‘below threshold’ – being able to minimize errors while scaling the number of qubits,” he continued.

“Machines are very sensitive, and noises are generated from any external impact as well as use,” says Simon Fried, vice president of business development and marketing. ClassicDeveloper of software for quantum computers in Tel Aviv, Israel.

“Being able to reduce or compensate for noise makes it possible to run longer, more complex programs,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“This is a significant advance in chip technology because of the inherent stability of the hardware as well as the ability to control noise,” he added.

Neven also noted that as the first system below the threshold, it is the most convincing prototype for a scalable logical qubit ever built. “This is a strong indication that useful, very large quantum computers can indeed be built,” he wrote. “Willow brings us closer to running practical, commercially relevant algorithms that cannot be replicated on conventional computers.”

Willow’s implications for the multiverse and security

Google released data on Willow’s performance based on a common quantum computer test known as the Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark. “(I) don’t test whether a quantum computer is doing something that a classical computer can’t do,” Neven explained. “A team building a quantum computer should first test whether it can beat a classical computer at RCS; otherwise, there is strong reason to be skeptical that it can tackle more complex quantum tasks.”

Neven called the Willow’s performance in the RCS benchmark “amazing”. It performed a calculation in less than five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years—10 followed by 25 zeroes.

“This mind-boggling number exceeds the timescale known in physics and greatly exceeds the age of the universe,” he wrote. “This lends credence to the idea that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, consistent with the idea that we live in a multiverse.”

Chris Hickman, Chief Security Officer key factorWillow, a digital identity management company in Cleveland, called Willow “a significant milestone in quantum computing” but cautioned that Willow’s advanced quantum error correction brings the field closer to practical quantum applications, indicating that businesses must prioritize preparing for the inevitable disruption. Computing in areas like encryption and security.

“While this development does not immediately change the expected timeline for quantum computers to break current encryption standards, it reinforces the idea that progress toward this milestone is accelerating,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“The practical uses of quantum computers go beyond applications that stand to benefit businesses,” he said. “Bad actors will inevitably use technology to their own malicious advantage.”

“Hackers will leverage quantum computers to decrypt sensitive information, making legacy cryptographic methods obsolete,” he continued. “Algorithms like this include RSA and the ECC, which is currently considered inviolable.”

Quantum cure-all beware

Carl Holmqvist, founder and CEO last wallMountain View, Calif., a provider of identity-centric and quantum-resilient technologies, agreed that the rate of development of cryptographically relevant quantum computers is accelerating. “But I also understand that there are skeptics who think that development is not as close as it seems or that it may never come,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“So, my question to everyone is: We either deploy quantum-elastic solutions too early or too late, which scenario carries more risk?” he asked. “Would you rather understand the implications of post-quantum cryptographic deployments, test them in your environment, and be ready to deploy quickly if necessary – or risk losing your privacy?”

In his blog, Neven also revealed why he changed his focus from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. “My answer is that both will prove to be the most transformative technologies of our time, but advanced AI will benefit significantly from access to quantum computing,” he wrote.

Quantum computing is inherently designed to tackle complex problems, so it could be very helpful with the development of AI, noted Edward Tian, ​​CEO. GPTZEROMaker of an AI detection platform in Arlington, Va “However, we still see examples of classical AI as good practices,” he told TechNewsWorld

“I got out of AI and into the quantum computing world specifically because quantum computing has to unlock doors that are closed in a classical computing world,” added QuSecure’s Krauthamer.

However, he had a word of caution about the technology. “A quantum computer is not just a bigger, faster, more powerful computer,” he said. “It thinks in a fundamentally different way and, therefore, will solve a different set of problems than we do today. It’s wise to be skeptical when quantum computing is presented as a panacea for challenging computation tasks.”