Google has unveiled its new quantum chip, Willow, by solving a problem that would take the world’s fastest supercomputers ten septillion years to complete in five minutes. Google’s quantum chip is the latest development in quantum computing, which uses particle physics to create chips with amazing power.
Google has said that its chip, which they have called Willow, “paves the way to a useful, large-scale quantum computer.”
Despite how exciting and revolutionary this all sounds, many experts say at the moment, this quantum chip is a mostly experimental tool. This means a quantum computer powerful enough to solve everyday problems is still years away.
Google’s Quantum Chip is the best such processor built yet
According to an interview Hartmut Neven, the leader of Google’s Quantum AI lab gave to the BBC, he claimed Willow is the best quantum processor built to date. He did not provide details on what applications Willow would have, but he did reveal it would have more practical applications.
Neven was clear about one thing, however. He claims a quantum chip capable of producing commercial operations would not appear before the decade’s end.
Quantum computers offer many promising applications dependent on greatly improved performance. Read how we’ve combined quantum error correction w/ our latest superconducting processor, Willow, exponentially reducing error rates w/ increasing qubit scale →https://t.co/flyuINreWy pic.twitter.com/AFcv8bPX5c
— Google AI (@GoogleAI) December 9, 2024
Some of these commercial applications would be simulating systems in which quantum effects are crucial. For instance, it would be relevant for pharmaceutical companies to understand how drugs work. Furthermore, it would be useful in designing nuclear fusion reactors and improving car batteries.
Countries around the world are investing in quantum computers, but there is some skepticism
Quantum computers are here to stay. Many experts have tipped this technology to become a key player in the tech “arms race” we are currently experiencing.
The U.K. recently launched its very own National Quantum Computing Centre, known as the NQCC. Its director, Michael Cuthbert, has recently commented on Willow, saying that it is more of a milestone, than an actual breakthrough.
Indeed, not everyone is a fan of Willow, especially due to some wilder claims surrounding the news of Google’s quantum chip performance. One of which came in a blog post written by Neven himself. In it, he claims that willow is so fast, that it must have borrowed computational power from other universes.
The implication is that parallel universes exist, and we would live in a multiverse.
This is a common thread between the Willow skeptics. All of them point out that despite the feat of solving that equation in five minutes, that was a benchmark test created by Google itself to measure quantum performance. This wouldn’t prove the existence of parallel universes by itself.