What if there was a quantum chip capable of cracking problems within minutes, which a supercomputer could have taken years? Yes, that’s what Google claims to have cracked with its new invention. Google scientists have created a new quantum processor named Willow that could crack such a problem in five minutes.
The tech giant claimed that this problem would have taken the world’s best supercomputer 10 septillion years to solve. So, what does this new invention mean to you? Here’s what Willow has in store for you.
Meet Willow: Google’s supercomputer
Google explained that its new quantum processing unit (QPU), “Willow,” is the first in the world to achieve results that are “below threshold”.So, how does this quantum processing unit (QPU) work? The technology depends on logical qubits. This is a qubit encoded using a collection of ‘physical qubits in a lattice formation.,’ a scientist explained. All the physical qubits in a single logical qubit share the same data. This means that if any qubits fail, calculations continue. This is because the information can still be found within the logical qubit.
The new breakthrough work pattern will allow quantum computers to become less error-prone. The bigger they get they can achieve a milestone of overcoming a decades-long obstacle. This is a milestone which was first highlighted by computer scientist Peter Shor in a 1995 paper. The team outlined the technology in a study published in the journal Nature. The Nature journal was published on December 9.
The way ahead
Usually, Quantum computers are inherently “noisy,” This means that, without error-correction technologies, the fundamental building blocks of a quantum computer could fail. This happens in every 1,000 qubits. This also means that coherence times can remain short. Notably, coherence time is how long the qubits can remain in a superposition. This enables them to process calculations in parallel. This high error rate is one of the key barriers in quantum computing.
However, Google says that Willow does not have these loopholes. This is what makes it improved from other supercomputers. This means that errors in a quantum computer will reduce exponentially as you add more physical qubits.
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