Google has developed a new quantum computing chip called Willow, which is surprisingly fast, performing a calculation in five minutes – something that would take today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years. In figures it is 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. Google described the achievement as surpassing the known timescales of physics and a picture of the age of the universe. At the same time, it speaks to the fact that quantum computing can work in many parallel universes, indicating that we are living in a multiverse. So, is Willow going to uncover the secrets of the universe? We don’t have that answer yet, but this seems like a step in that direction.
In the case of Willow, computing is not quantum!
Not a smartphone chip, not a smartphone chip like Google’s Tensor G4 Pixel 9 series or Intel’s Lunar Lake chips. Instead, it is a quantum computing chip, based on the principles of physics and particle physics. The chip has been in development for more than a decade with the vision of building a practical, large-scale quantum computer.
Google refers to quantum mechanics as “nature’s operating system”, which aims to accelerate scientific discovery and solve humanity’s toughest challenges. This success has even caught the attention of Elon Musk, who raved on X (formerly Twitter).
What are qubits and how do they differ from traditional computing units?
In earlier computing, the basic unit was represented by 0 or 1 – based on whether the transistor was on or off. However, “qubits”, or quantum bits, can exist in both states simultaneously.
But Google says there’s a significant problem with qubits, and that’s because qubits tend to exchange information quickly with the environment. It is difficult to protect the data required for calculation. Google says the more qubits you use—that is, the more powerful a computer or chipset—the more errors there will be.
However, Google has been able to use more qubits and resolve more errors, making the system more quantum. Google says this condition is referred to as “below the threshold” – reducing errors when scaling qubits. Google says the creation of Willow is the first step in building a very large quantum computer.
Google Willow – The first step into the future
Google said it is the first system currently set below the threshold and is a sign that large-scale quantum computers may be built in the future. The hope is that this will allow companies like Google to implement practical and commercially relevant algorithms that cannot be run on conventional computers.
That being said, Willow currently has 105 qubits. However, this may not be sufficient for real-world implementation. Scientists estimate that millions or even billions of qubits may be needed to perform calculations that have real-world implications. So it may take us some time to achieve it.