Can Google's newly released quantum chip Willow really change the game?

Google has just announced its latest quantum computing chip, Willow, causing a huge sensation in the global tech community.

The official claim is that this small chip can complete computational tasks that would take supercomputers billions of years in just five minutes. As soon as the news broke, even Elon Musk exclaimed, "Wow!"

Doesn't that sound a bit sci-fi? But that's the charm of quantum computing.

Is Google Dominating the Quantum Realm?

Unlike its previous claim that its quantum computer Sycamore achieved "quantum supremacy," Google has not claimed that Willow has achieved "quantum supremacy," but rather emphasized its achievements in "surpassing classical computing."

In 2019, Google publicly showcased its previous generation quantum computer Sycamore, promoting that it completed a computation in just 200 seconds, a task that theoretically would take the fastest supercomputer in the world 10,000 years to complete.

The Willow chip has 105 qubits, which allows it to achieve best-in-class performance in quantum error correction and random circuit sampling (RCS).

In the RCS benchmark test, the Willow chip completed a standard computation in less than 5 minutes, a task that would take the current fastest supercomputer over 10^25 years—far exceeding the age of the universe and far beyond our understanding of traditional computing capabilities.

A Battle of RCS and Quantum Volume

Google is trying to emphasize that RCS performance should be the metric for judging all quantum computers. According to Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI, "This is a starting point. If you can't win at random circuit sampling, then you can't win at any other algorithm."

He added that RCS "is now widely used as a standard in the field of quantum computing."

However, other companies, including IBM and Honeywell, use quantum volume as the benchmark. Quantum volume represents the maximum width-depth random circuits that can be executed on a system; the higher the operational fidelity, the larger the quantum volume.

They claim that quantum volume provides a more comprehensive understanding of a machine's capabilities by considering the interactions between qubits. Unfortunately, the specifications shared by Google for the Willow chip did not mention quantum volume, making comparisons between technologies difficult.

Error Rates Below the Threshold

Most impressively, according to Google's latest statement, Willow is the first quantum system that can reduce error rates while increasing the number of qubits.

So far, the challenge that has plagued all attempts to build practical quantum computers is that the qubits they are based on are difficult to control. They can only maintain their quantum state for a small fraction of a few seconds, and the more qubits added to the system, the greater the likelihood of errorsHowever, Google stated that as they add more qubits to the system, they have found ways to reduce errors. According to Google, Willow is the first system to achieve this.

"As the first system to be below the threshold, this is the most compelling scalable logical qubit prototype built to date. This is a strong indication that practical, large-scale quantum computers can indeed be constructed," Neven said. "Willow brings us closer to running practical, commercially relevant algorithms that cannot be replicated on classical computers."

What can Willow do?

Although the Willow chip theoretically demonstrates astonishing computational capabilities, Google also acknowledges that there is still more work to be done to translate these capabilities into practical applications.

Neven stated that the error-correcting capabilities of the Willow chip and its ability to surpass classical computing bring us closer to a system that can provide commercial applications. These applications include aiding in the discovery of new drugs, designing more efficient electric vehicle batteries, and accelerating progress in nuclear fusion and alternative energy sources