The breakthrough could revolutionize fields from drug discovery to climate change solutions.
The achievement marks a major step toward practical quantum computing, a technology still in development but considered pivotal for tackling challenges beyond the capabilities of traditional computers.
Unlike conventional computers, which use binary data bits as 1s or 0s, quantum computers use qubits that can exist as both 1 and 0 simultaneously, enabling them to process vast amounts of data at once. Willow also demonstrated a long-elusive breakthrough in error correction, exponentially reducing computational errors as it scaled up. This progress, published in the prestigious journal Nature, is essential for building functional quantum systems.
Quantum computing is a high-stakes global race, with heavy investments from the U.S., China, and private sectors, which have collectively poured $20 billion into research over the last five years. The technology’s promise to transform industries is matched by geopolitical sensitivity, as export restrictions reflect its strategic importance.
Error correction is the “end game” in quantum computing, and Google is “confidently progressing” along the path, Julian Kelly, Google’s director of quantum hardware, emphasized.
