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Google Unveils 105-Qubit Willow Quantum Chip Solving Problems Beyond Supercomputers

Dec 9, 2024, 06:42 PM

Google has unveiled its latest quantum computing chip, named Willow, representing a significant breakthrough in quantum computing technology. The 105-qubit chip demonstrates exponential error reduction as qubits scale, operating below the critical threshold for error correction, a milestone that overcomes a 30-year challenge in the field. Willow boasts improved coherence times, five times better than its predecessors, and is cooled to 460 degrees below zero. In benchmark tests, Willow solved a standard computation in under five minutes that would take today's fastest supercomputers around 10 septillion (10^25) years, a timeframe vastly exceeding the age of the universe. This achievement marks a major step towards practical, large-scale quantum computers, with potential applications across various fields such as artificial intelligence, materials science, biology, and nuclear fusion. The chip's advanced error correction capabilities pave the way for scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing. The results were published in Nature, highlighting the progress made by the Google Quantum AI team.