Google has unveiled 'Willow', a new quantum computer chip utilizing 105 qubits, marking a significant breakthrough in quantum computing. The chip demonstrates 'below threshold' quantum error correction, a key milestone that allows for scaling up quantum computers while exponentially reducing error rates. Willow can perform computations in under five minutes that would take today's fastest supercomputers an estimated 10 septillion years, a timescale exceeding the age of the universe. The achievement lends credence to theories about quantum computation occurring in parallel universes, as predicted by physicist David Deutsch. The research, conducted by the Google Quantum AI team under the leadership of Hartmut Neven, was published in Nature and moves quantum computers one step closer to practical applications in fields such as artificial intelligence, materials science, biology, and nuclear fusion.
