Google's Willow Chip Achieves Breakthrough: First Verifiable Quantum Advantage 13,000 Times Faster Than Supercomputers

Washington DC:

Google Quantum AI's Willow chip has achieved a remarkable milestone by demonstrating the "first-ever verifiable quantum advantage." The chip executed its 'Quantum Echoes' algorithm approximately 13,000 times faster than the best classical algorithm running on the world's fastest supercomputer.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, announced this quantum computing breakthrough on X, emphasizing how the new algorithm can "explain interactions between atoms in a molecule using nuclear magnetic resonance" and open pathways for future innovations in drug discovery and materials science.

READ: UK Designates Apple And Google A "Duopoly", Imposes Tougher Rules

Pichai stated on X: "New breakthrough quantum algorithm published in Nature today: Our Willow chip has achieved the first-ever verifiable quantum advantage. Willow ran the algorithm - which we've named Quantum Echoes - 13,000x faster than the best classical algorithm on one of the world's fastest supercomputers. This new algorithm can explain interactions between atoms in a molecule using nuclear magnetic resonance, paving a path towards potential future uses in drug discovery and materials science."

What makes this achievement particularly significant is that the result obtained with the Willow Chip is verifiable – it can be replicated by other quantum computers or confirmed through experiments, bringing us closer to practical quantum computing applications.

"And the result is verifiable, meaning its outcome can be repeated by other quantum computers or confirmed by experiments. This breakthrough is a significant step toward the first real-world application of quantum computing, and we're excited to see where it leads," Pichai added.

According to Google, the algorithm works in conjunction with the chip to compute molecular structures. Google's Willow quantum chip has been making steady progress in quantum computing research. In 2019, it demonstrated a quantum computer solving a problem that would require thousands of years for a supercomputer. By 2024, the Willow chip showed that quantum errors could be dramatically suppressed, resolving a challenge that had persisted for three decades.

The Quantum Echoes is classified as an out-of-order time correlator (OTOC) algorithm, which serves as a mechanical tool in quantum computing. Google explains that Quantum Echoes can help learn about the structure of various natural systems, from molecules to magnets and even black holes.

In a separate proof-of-principle experiment, "Quantum computation of molecular geometry via many-body nuclear spin echoes" showed how this new technique functions as a "molecular ruler" capable of measuring greater distances than current methods. It utilizes Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) data to gather more comprehensive information about chemical structures.

Google emphasizes that this marks the first time in history that a quantum computer has successfully run a verifiable algorithm surpassing supercomputer capabilities. The results can be consistently reproduced on their quantum computer or any other device of comparable caliber, confirming the outcome's validity.

"This repeatable, beyond-classical computation is the basis for scalable verification, bringing quantum computers closer to becoming tools for practical applications," according to Google's blog.

The innovative technique operates similar to an advanced echo system – it sends a carefully crafted signal into the quantum system (qubits on the Willow chip), disturbs one qubit, then precisely reverses the signal's evolution to detect the returning "echo."