Google’s Willow Chip Shatters a Quantum Computing Barrier

Quantum computing was once something out of science fiction. Now, it seems, Google has made a significant leap with its new Willow quantum chip.

According to Google, its Willow chip solved a complex computing problem in about five minutes. The same problem would take modern supercomputers 10 septillion (10 followed by 24 zeroes) years to resolve.

The work on a quantum computer has been an ongoing effort among scientists for decades. The technology uses what are called “qubits,” otherwise known as building blocks of quantum computers. While researchers have figured out how to increase the speed of blocks, they have struggled to make them error-free.

With error issues plaguing the system, quantum computers are unreliable and impractical. Yet, Google has apparently cut the error rate down significantly with the Willow chip, which has 105 qubits and can correct errors in real time.

“Introducing Willow, our new state-of-the-art quantum computing chip with a breakthrough that can reduce errors exponentially as we scale up using more qubits, cracking a 30-year challenge in the field,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai wrote on X.

Willow Chip Exceeds Current Computing Technology

Also in the X post, Pichai noted that Willow will help the future development of applications useful in many scientific fields, including battery design, drug discovery, and fusion energy. Alongside the current rapid pace of artificial intelligence development, the possible implications are unfathomable.

The post caught the attention of X owner Elon Musk. Responding with “wow,” Musk began a social media exchange with Pichai that teased a possible future collaboration using quantum chips in the SpaceX program.

The Willow chip is a substantial improvement compared to Google’s previous quantum technology. In 2019, the tech company revealed Sycamore, a quantum processor that could solve a problem in three minutes compared to the 10,000 years it would take computers at that time.

Other tech giants, like Microsoft, have been actively chasing quantum computing. Earlier this year, Microsoft partnered with Quantinuum in an effort to make quantum computing viable and commercially useful.

Amazon is even dipping its toes into quantum computing. The retail giant launched the Quantum Embark platform in November. The program is a learning suite designed to teach others about quantum technology.