Google’s new quantum chip Willow can solve complex problem in 5 minutes
Google's new Willow quantum chip has achieved a remarkable milestone, solving a computational problem in just five minutes—a task that would take the world’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete. This breakthrough in quantum computing was demonstrated when Willow outperformed the Frontier supercomputer in a benchmark algorithm, marking a significant step forward for the company’s ambitions in quantum technology.
The algorithm used to test Willow’s capabilities, designed purely for benchmarking rather than practical application, showcased the chip’s unprecedented speed. According to Google, Willow completed the task in minutes, a feat that would take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years for Frontier, far exceeding the age of the universe. This performance is a vast improvement over Google’s earlier claims in 2019, when the company said it could solve a problem in minutes that would take 10,000 years for classical computers.
The Role of Quantum Error Correction in Willow’s Success
A key factor behind Willow’s success is its advanced quantum error correction. Quantum computing has long been hindered by high error rates, which occur because qubits—the basic units of quantum information—are highly sensitive to their environments. This makes it difficult to maintain the integrity of calculations, especially as quantum systems scale up. Willow, however, benefits from improvements that significantly reduce errors.
In a recent paper published in Nature, Google explained how Willow’s quantum error
