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Google has unveiled a quantum chip capable of performing calculations in five minutes that would take 10 septillion years to complete on today's most advanced supercomputers.
This week, Google made an impressive leap in search for computação quântica when presenting its latest quantum chip, called Willow. It measures just 4 cm, the processor managed to perform a standard reference calculation in five minutes that would take 10 septillion years to be completed by today's most advanced supercomputers.
That's 10 followed by 24 zeros, or 10.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000 years – then, longer than the history of the universe.
Google's discovery not only impressed the scientific community, but also impacted the financial market. Alphabet shares, company Google's parent company, rose 5% after the announcement.
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Solving decades-old challenges
One of the main barriers to advancing quantum computing has always been the high error rate. While traditional computers fail in only 1 out of every billion billion bits, qubits — the building blocks of quantum computers — fail in 1 out of every 1.000 operations.
This error rate makes it difficult for these machines to scale to outperform conventional supercomputers.
To overcome this challenge, Google scientists have developed a new quantum processing unit (QPU), the Willow quantum chip, which reaches a milestone known as “below the limit”, a concept introduced by Peter Shor in 1995.
This means that errors decrease exponentially as more physical qubits are added, a feat detailed in a study published in the journal Nature on December 9.
Quantum chip! The revolution of logical qubits
The technology behind Willow is based on logical qubits, which group together multiple physical qubits to form an error-resilient structure.
When one physical qubit fails, the others compensate, ensuring that calculations remain accurate. To get to this point, Google has improved calibration protocols, used advanced machine learning techniques to identify errors, and refined manufacturing methods for the devices.
These improvements also resulted in coherence times that were five times better than the performance of previous chips, such as the Sycamore, which was launched in 2019.
Coherence time is crucial for qubits to remain in a superposition state, allowing complex calculations to be performed in parallel.
Results beyond imagination
to test the Willow, the researchers used a benchmark called Random Circuit Sampling (RCS), standard in the evaluation of quantum chips.
The result was impressive: a task that would take the fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years was completed in just five minutes.
This performance puts Willow light years ahead of its predecessor, Sycamore. In 2019, Sycamore managed to solve a problem in 200 seconds, something that would take a classical computer 10.000 years to solve.
In less than five years, Willow has advanced so much that it now outperforms Sycamore by 20 times in logical error rate and scale.
The next step
Despite the historic milestone, Google scientists are still aiming higher. The goal now is to create even more precise logical qubits, with error rates of just 1 in 1 million.
To do this, you will need to connect more than 1.400 qubits physicists into a cohesive system, something that requires even more sophisticated error correction technologies.
Another goal is to go beyond benchmarks and demonstrate practical applications. In previous tests, Google has used quantum simulations to discover deviations from the laws of physics, but those results were still within the reach of classical computers.
Now, scientists hope that the next generation of QPUs will not only match, but surpass supercomputers in real-world applications.
Impact on society
Google’s breakthrough is not just a technical achievement. It opens doors to applications in a variety of areas, including cryptography, logistics optimization, drug discovery and climate change solutions.
With more reliable and powerful quantum computers, the ability to process data at unparalleled speeds could revolutionize entire industries.
Furthermore, the economic impact is also significant. Companies that lead the quantum race tend to dominate industries and generate trillions of dollars in value.
Google's advancement reinforces its position as a pioneer in this field, highlighting the importance of investing in research and development.
The creation of the Willow quantum chip marks a turning point in the history of computing. The “sub-threshold” achievement is a crucial step towards making quantum computers viable and scalable.
More than a scientific achievement, the breakthrough promises to transform the way we deal with global challenges, from scientific problems to technological innovations.
Simply fantastic, the future has arrived and we will see the threshold of discoveries in the universe, we will discover if God exists, if we are computer simulations of extraterrestrial beings 👽 considered gods, or if we are just creations of Chance.
God or any primordial force will always be beyond any discovery, not only of humans, but also of any intelligent being of His creation. Limiting the existence of God to the reach of the discoveries of His creation is poverty of soul, understanding and human language.
God already knew this, he knew what for us humans is “all this” and he knows much, much more…