by Google has developed a quantum computing chip that can solve a problem in just five minutes that would be impossible for the world’s most powerful conventional computers.
The international tech giant is pouring billions of dollars into quantum computers that experts believe can usher in advances in medicine, electric vehicles and green energy.
Quantum computers are also expected to be able to break modern encryption and enable an unhackable Internet, but Google says that application is still about a decade away from implementation.
Google’s latest foray into the world of quantum computing is a computer chip called Willow that is about an inch long. Studies found that it was capable of solving a specific problem in five minutes that would take the most powerful conventional computers 10 septillion years to solve.
Ten septillion years is a time scale longer than the age of the universe, and the results show for the first time that quantum computers are capable of tasks beyond classical computers.
The task solved in this way, the RCS benchmark (Random Circuit Sampling), is a statistical process that tasks a computer with calculating the randomness in measurements.
“RCS is the classically hardest benchmark that can be performed on a quantum computer today,” said Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI.
“You can think of this as an entry point for quantum computing – testing whether a quantum computer can do something that wouldn’t be possible on a classical computer.”
Quantum computing is fundamentally different from regular computers and is more powerful because it uses quantum bits (qubits) instead of normal bits to process information.
Rather than being limited to the one-zero language of binary coding, qubits can exist in multiple states – a phenomenon known as superposition that exponentially increases computing power.
Extremely fragile
Qubits are made up of tiny particles, like the electrons of phosphorus atoms, that have a “spin” and point magnetically north or south (the equivalent of zero and one), but also in multiple directions in between, like a compass needle.
While they are pointless for tasks like running word processing programs or web streaming, they could help crack encryption or simulate extremely complex biological processes.
However, qubits are extremely fragile and often prone to losing their information, with calculations often breaking down as soon as a mistake is made.
Google reported in a new paper published Monday in the journal Nature that it has solved this 20-year-old technical problem with a built-in guardrail that suppresses errors to a level low enough for the machine to is functional.
Mr Neven told reporters that quantum computers will “solve problems that normal computers and AI cannot solve”.
Artificial intelligence is particularly adept at problems in the quantum world, where Newtonian physics gives way to the laws of the quantum realm, he says.
Therefore, quantum computers could see the greatest advances in topics such as nuclear fusion, subatomic interactions between drugs and the body, and the development of new batteries.
“Outstanding breakthroughs”
Charina Chou, chief operating officer at Google Quantum AI, said: “These were truly outstanding breakthroughs by the team, but they are steps on our path to a quantum computer for otherwise intractable problems, and I want to emphasize that.”
“While this is an amazing project – it’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of cool science and engineering – the ultimate goal of our computer is to help solve these otherwise intractable problems.”
Mr Neven adds that Willow’s progress shows it is “the most convincing prototype” built to date.
“This is a strong sign that useful, very large quantum computers can actually be built,” he said.
“Willow brings us closer to running practical, commercially relevant algorithms that cannot be replicated on traditional computers.”
“Transformation technologies”
Google now plans to use Willow to demonstrate a first “useful, beyond-classical” computation that is actually relevant to the real world and is not an abstract puzzle.
“We are optimistic that the Willow chip generation can help us achieve this goal,” added Mr. Neven.
“Our goal is to move into the realm of algorithms that are beyond the reach of classical computers and that are useful for real-world, commercially relevant problems.”
“Both AI and quantum technology will prove to be the most transformative technologies of our time, but advanced AI will benefit significantly from access to quantum computing.”
He believes Willow’s success “lends credence to the idea that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes” and fits with the theory that we exist within a multiverse.
