Quantum computing is increasingly described as the next frontier in computing. This emergent field harnesses quantum mechanics to solve complex problems beyond the capabilities of classical computing, which promises to revolutionize multiple industries and scientific fields. Quantum computers could solve problems that take current technologies several years in a matter of minutes.1
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Quantum computing relies on the superposition of qubits (quantum bits) that can exist in multiple states of ones and zeros at the same time, meaning that they can potentially scale exponentially. This is in contrast to classical computing, which relies on binary bits to store and process data and is therefore far more limited in its computing power.1
However, whilst notable progress has been made in recent years, the field of quantum computing is still in its relative infancy with several key challenges still to overcome before commercially viable quantum computers become available on the market. Much more powerful quantum chips are needed than are currently being researched.
Recent news from Google could be potentially game-changing for the emergent quantum computing field. The company has announced the development of their latest step-change advance in quantum computing: Willow. This new quantum chip could revolutionize computing power across multiple industries, paving the way for breakthroughs previously considered out-of-reach for classical computing.
Key Features of the Willow Chip
Reliability has been a significant roadblock in quantum computing for the past three decades. The more qubits are added into quantum systems, the more unreliable and error-prone they become. Google’s Willow chip, on the other hand, overcomes this bottleneck.
As the qubits in the Willow chip scale up, errors are reduced exponentially, setting this new technology apart from previous systems. Willow’s sophisticated architecture features 105 qubits. The company’s previous quantum technology, Sycamore, had only half that amount of qubits.2
The qubits in Willow also possess improved retention time. This makes them able to hold information for longer periods than qubits in previous quantum chip technologies, vastly improving stability and accuracy. This means that Willow not only has a higher quantity of qubits: those qubits are also better quality than current quantum technologies, greatly improving fault tolerance.
A powerful feature seen in Willow that sets it apart from previous quantum chips is below-surface code threshold quantum error correction. Logical error rates are significantly suppressed, providing device performance that could be practicable for the requirements of fault-tolerant quantum algorithms if scaled.3
Revolutionary Impact on Computing
Improved fault tolerance and reduced error rate could pave the way for faster, more reliable quantum computers that can solve fundamental problems in multiple scientific fields.
Google have also stated that the technology provides a scientific first in quantum computing: real-time error correction in a quantum system. Additionally, Willow’s below-threshold error correction capabilities means that very large quantum computers could be possible in the future that can outperform even the most powerful conventional computers available today.
Furthermore, Google have demonstrated the potentially game-changing nature of Willow by testing it on a recognized benchmark in computing: RCS (random circuit sampling.) The chip managed to perform a computation that would take a current supercomputer 10 septillion (1025)years in under 5 minutes.4
Implications for Industry
The revolutionary potential of Google’s latest quantum chip technology could have far-reaching implications for a number of industries and cutting-edge scientific fields.
Advances in healthcare such as advanced protein folding simulations and innovative fields such as personalized healthcare could be hastened by the development of this technology. In finance, advanced risk modelling and portfolio optimization could be made possible.
Willow could also have implications for the transition to renewable energy, vastly improving battery design and advanced materials science research. Faster and more powerful AI could be made possible through the benefits of Willow. The possibilities for industry could be near endless if this technology were to be deployed at scale: computing, healthcare, the military, materials science, space exploration, and more could see drastic changes.
Overcoming Current Challenges
Willow overcomes a crucial bottleneck in quantum computing currently, namely the error-prone nature of qubits. Its below-threshold real-time error correction capabilities outperform previous technologies, placing scalable real-world quantum computing within the reach of researchers.
However, some challenges still persist. Firstly, cost and accessibility issues need to be overcome if Willow and future quantum technologies are to become commercially viable. Quantum computing is still very expensive and requires specially trained operators, putting it beyond the reach of companies with limited budgets.
Additionally, Willow and comparable quantum technologies will need to be integrated with existing systems, which could be a complex and costly endeavor. However, efforts to bridge classical and quantum computing are ongoing, and Google’s latest announcements demonstrate the potential of the company’s quantum computing technologies in this ongoing computing revolution.
In Summary
In summary, Willow could be a game-changing quantum technology that can transform computing, industry, and several cutting-edge scientific fields, solving problems far beyond the capabilities of even the most powerful crop of current supercomputers.
The future outlook for Willow and Google’s quantum computing research is highly promising. This technology represents the second milestone on Google’s quantum computing roadmap (quantum error correction.) Future milestones are building a long-lived logical qubit, creating a logical gate, engineering scale-up, and finally, achieving a large error-corrected quantum computer.5
Whilst a large error-corrected quantum computer is currently beyond the reach of quantum computing researchers, Willow represents a potentially revolutionary step along this scientific journey that began three decades ago.
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Further Reading and More Information
[1] Schneider, J & Smalley, I (2024) What is quantum computing? [online] IBM. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/topics/quantum-computing (Accessed on 14 December 2024)
[2] Bajarin, T (2024) Why Google’s Quantum Computer Chip is a Game Changer [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2024/12/13/why-googles-quantum-computer-chip-willow-is-a-game-changer/ (Accessed on 14 December 2024)
[3] Google Quantum AI (2024) Quantum error correction below the surface code threshold Nature [online] Nature.com. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08449-y (Accessed on 14 December 2024)
[4] Neven, H (2024) Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip [online] Google. Available at: https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/ (Accessed on 14 December 2024)
[5] Google Quantum AI (2024) Our quantum computing roadmap [online] Available at: https://quantumai.google/roadmap (Accessed on 14 December 2024)
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