Google has announced a significant breakthrough in quantum computing with its latest microchip, "Willow," which solves a long-standing challenge in just five minutes. The same problem would take a classical computer more time than the entire history of the universe to process.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, revealed on X that Willow could exponentially reduce errors as more "qubits" are added to the chip. This is a major achievement in quantum computing, which has been trying to address errors in its calculations for over three decades. The company hopes that these advancements will eventually lead to solving problems in fields like medicine, artificial intelligence, and battery chemistry that are currently beyond the capabilities of classical computers.
"Willow successfully completed a computation in less than five minutes that would take a leading supercomputer more than 10^25 years, far exceeding the age of the universe," Pichai said. This milestone is seen as a key step toward developing quantum computers with practical applications for drug discovery, fusion energy, and battery design.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, responded to Pichai's announcement with a simple "Wow," and the two engaged in a lighthearted exchange. Musk expressed his belief that humanity should reach a more advanced level of civilization, suggesting that a "quantum cluster in space with Starship" might be possible in the future. Musk added that, to progress toward a Type II civilization, humanity would need to harness solar power from deserts and arid regions.
The Willow chip uses 105 qubits, the fundamental units of quantum computing. However, these qubits are highly sensitive to external influences, such as subatomic particles from outer space. Over the years, scientists have been focused on quantum error-correction techniques to prevent such errors from affecting computations.
While the math problem solved by Google’s quantum lab does not yet have commercial applications, the company believes it marks a crucial step toward making quantum computing a reality for solving complex challenges.
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