Google Quantum AI has introduced Willow, a new quantum chip designed to make quantum computers more reliable and powerful. The chip uses 105 qubits, which are the basic units in quantum computing, to solve problems that traditional computers cannot handle.
One of Willow’s big breakthroughs is reducing errors as the system gets larger. In the past, adding more qubits meant more errors, making computations harder to complete. Willow has overcome this by cutting error rates in half with each increase in qubits, solving a problem researchers have struggled with for nearly 30 years.
Willow also showed how fast and powerful it is through a key test called random circuit sampling. In this test, the chip performed a calculation in under five minutes. A supercomputer would need 10 septillion years — that’s a 10 followed by 24 zeros — to do the same task.
The chip was made in Google’s specialized lab in Santa Barbara, one of the few places in the world built for this kind of work. Willow is carefully designed so all its parts work well together, which improves its performance.
Google Quantum AI started in 2012 with the goal of building large quantum computers to solve big challenges in science and society. Willow is a step closer to making that goal a reality, bringing practical uses for quantum computers within reach.
The team plans to keep improving its quantum technology, exploring new ways these chips can make a difference in the real world.