Google has announced a new quantum chip called Willow. Willow reduces errors a lot when there are more qubits. This is a big deal because it solves a problem scientists have been trying to fix for almost 30 years.

A paper published in Nature describes the chip and some benchmarks.

Willow has done, in less than five minutes, a calculation that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10 septillion years. That’s a huge number, way bigger than the age of the universe. This shows how powerful quantum computers can be compared to regular ones.

Willow was made in a Santa Barbara lab focused on quantum chips. The components of the chip (e.g. single and two-qubit gates, qubit reset, and readout) need to work well together. If one part isn’t good, the whole chip suffers.

Willow’s qubits can hold their quantum state for longer than previous quantum chips, which is crucial for quantum computing. According to Google, this makes Willow the best in its class for reducing errors and doing quick calculations.

Willow isn’t just about having lots of qubits but about making high-quality ones. Google is excited about what Willow can do to push quantum computing forward, making it not just faster but also more reliable for real-world use.

Real-life applications of quantum computing

The goal now is to use Willow for real-life problems that regular computers can’t handle. Until now, Google scientists have either tested the chip’s speed or used it for simple scientific simulations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing will be “the most transformational technologies of our time” and “advanced AI will significantly benefit from access to quantum computing,” says Google Quantum AI leader Hartmut Neven.

Potential applications of Willow include “helping us discover new medicines, designing more efficient batteries for electric cars, and accelerating progress in fusion and new energy alternatives,” concludes Neven. “Many of these future game-changing applications won’t be feasible on classical computers; they’re waiting to be unlocked with quantum computing,” he says.

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