Google Makes New Quantum Computing Breakthrough The New York Times

Algorithm performed task beyond capability of classical computers, although experts say real-world application still years away Google has claimed a breakthrough in quantum computing after developing an algorithm that performed a task beyond the capabilities of conventional computers. The algorithm, a set of instructions guiding the operation of a quantum computer, was able to compute the structure of a molecule – which paves the way for major discoveries in areas such as... Google acknowledged, however, that real-world use of quantum computers remained years away. “This is the first time in history that any quantum computer has successfully run a verifiable algorithm that surpasses the ability of supercomputers,” Google said in a blogpost. “This repeatable, beyond-classical computation is the basis for scalable verification, bringing quantum computers closer to becoming tools for practical applications.”

A cryostat in Google’s quantum-computing facility. Credit: Google Quantum AI Researchers at Google have built a chip that has enabled them to demonstrate the first ‘below threshold’ quantum calculations — a key milestone in the quest to build quantum computers that are accurate enough... Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Receive 51 print issues and online access

NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Google on Monday unveiled a new quantum computer that may end this back-and-forth race with traditional machines and that points to a future in which quantum computers could drive advances in... Google said its quantum computer, based on a computer chip called Willow, needs less than five minutes to perform a mathematical calculation that one of the world's most powerful supercomputers could not complete in... "Quantum computing -- the result of decades of research into a type of physics called quantum mechanics -- is still an experimental technology," noted the report. "But Google's achievement shows that scientists are steadily improving techniques that could allow quantum computing to live up to the enormous expectations that have surrounded this big idea for decades." Many other tech giants, including Microsoft, Intel and IBM, are building similar technology as the United States jockeys for supremacy in this increasingly important field.

The mathematical calculation performed by Google's machine was a test designed solely to gauge the progress of quantum computing, it added. ■ Google’s Quantum Computer Makes a Major Breakthrough in Error Correction Google’s new chip, Willow, has achieved the exponential suppression of errors. The advance is substantial, but Willow remains far from delivering on any practical applications Artist’s concept of a quantum computer chip.

Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Quantum computers are a little like librarians: both abhor noise. The decades-long quest to create a practical quantum computer is accelerating as major tech companies say they are closing in on designs that could scale from small lab experiments to full working systems within... IBM laid out a detailed plan for a large-scale machine in June, filling in gaps from earlier concepts and declaring it was on track to build one by the end of the decade. “It doesn’t feel like a dream anymore,” Jay Gambetta, head of IBM’s quantum initiative, told Financial Times. “I really do feel like we’ve cracked the code and we’ll be able to build this machine by the end of the decade.”

Google, which cleared one of the toughest technical obstacles late last year, says it is also confident it can produce an industrial-scale system within that time frame, while Amazon Web Services cautions that it...

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