What if a computer could solve problems in minutes that would take regular ones millions of years? Google’s Willow chip is making that possible. Find out more!
Google has introduced its Willow quantum chip, advancing quantum computing. The company states that Willow can solve problems in five minutes—tasks that would take traditional computers over ten septillion years to complete, for context, that exceeds the universe’s age. Willow demonstrated an ability to reduce errors as it scaled exponentially—a phenomenon referred to as “below threshold” in the quantum computing industry.
Willow’s capabilities were tested using the Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark, one of the standard challenges in quantum computing. The results showed that Willow can perform computations beyond the limits of classical computers.
Google envisions using quantum computing technologies like Willow in various industries. The potential applications are broad, from developing next-generation drugs to designing energy-efficient batteries. Beyond these uses,
With Willow, Google aims to address challenges in building large-scale, error-resistant quantum machines. Google describes the chip as a step toward achieving this goal. The chip features 105 qubits and improves qubit connectivity, which is important for executing computations. It also addresses error rates, a challenge in quantum computing.
“The more qubits we use in Willow, the more we reduce errors, and the more quantum the system becomes. We tested ever-larger arrays of physical qubits, scaling up from a grid of 3×3 encoded qubits to a grid of 5×5 to a grid of 7×7 — and each time, using our latest advances in quantum error correction, we were able to cut the error rate in half. This historic accomplishment is known in the field as below threshold — being able to drive errors down while scaling up the number of qubits,” Google said.
While Willow represents an advancement, it may still take time before quantum computing is integrated into business operations. Hartmut Neven, leader of Google’s Quantum AI lab, says that the Willow chip could soon have applications, but he did not provide a timeline for its commercial release. Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, have discussed the potential of quantum technology in projects like space-based quantum clusters.
Google invites researchers, engineers, and developers to explore its open-source software and educational resources, including a new Coursera course. The course covers quantum error correction and offers an opportunity to contribute to building algorithms for the future.
