On December 10, Alphabet, the parent company of Google and one of the “Magnificent 7,” saw its stock rise 5.59%, leading the S&P 500 communication services sector and marking its largest single-day gain since April. The stock closed at $185.17, approaching its all-time high of $190.71 set on July 10. This surge came as investors focused on Google's latest quantum computing chip, Willow, which achieved remarkable performance in benchmark tests.

Key Breakthroughs of Willow

1. Exponential Error Rate Reduction

Error rates have long been a critical challenge in quantum computing, as increasing the number of qubits typically leads to exponential error growth. However, Willow has achieved a breakthrough: as the number of qubits increases, the error rate decreases exponentially. Google tested qubit grids of 3x3, 5x5, and 7x7 scales and verified that each configuration reduced error rates by half.

This advancement, known as “below-threshold error correction,” represents the first major progress in quantum error correction since Peter Shor introduced the concept in 1995. Google successfully demonstrated real-time error correction on a superconducting quantum system, laying the foundation for building stable and scalable logical qubits. For the first time, the system reached the “break-even point,” where the lifespan of a logical qubit exceeded that of a single physical qubit. This achievement proves that quantum error correction can significantly enhance system performance, positioning Willow as the most compelling scalable quantum computing prototype to date.

2. Performance Surpasses Supercomputers

Google assessed Willow's performance using the Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark. The results showed that Willow completed a task in less than 5 minutes, a feat that would take today’s fastest supercomputers 10^25 years to accomplish. This result not only highlights the core advantages of quantum computing but also aligns with the “multiverse” theory, suggesting that quantum computations may occur across parallel universes.

It is noteworthy that Google employed conservative assumptions when evaluating supercomputers, such as assuming full access to storage resources and no bandwidth limitations, making Willow’s performance even more impressive.

Technical Highlights

The Willow quantum chip incorporates several groundbreaking advancements. It features 105 qubits, achieving industry-leading performance in quantum error correction and Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmarks. The T1 time, which measures how long qubits remain in their excited state, has been improved to nearly 100 microseconds, five times longer than the previous generation of chips. Willow is manufactured at Google’s cutting-edge facility in Santa Barbara, a plant specifically designed for quantum chip development. The chip’s components, including single-qubit gates, two-qubit gates, reset mechanisms, and readout systems, have been highly integrated with advanced engineering techniques, significantly enhancing its overall performance, stability, and scalability.

Future Outlook

Google’s primary goal is to achieve the first “useful, beyond-classical” real-world applications on its current quantum chips, with Willow playing a key role in driving this objective forward. Google also encourages developers and researchers to contribute through its open-source tools and educational resources, such as quantum computing courses available on Coursera.

Moreover, quantum computing is expected to bring revolutionary changes to the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Quantum algorithms offer scale advantages for fundamental computational tasks crucial to AI, such as processing inaccessible training data, optimizing learning architectures, and modeling systems where quantum effects are significant. Potential future applications include drug discovery, more efficient electric vehicle battery design, accelerated nuclear fusion, and advancements in renewable energy technologies. These breakthroughs, which are nearly impossible on traditional computers, now become achievable with quantum computing.

A Milestone Achievement

The launch of the Willow quantum chip represents a milestone in quantum computing, akin to Google’s earlier Transformer technology, which had a profound impact on AI. From solving quantum error correction challenges to surpassing the performance of traditional supercomputers, Willow paves the way for practical applications of quantum computing. This breakthrough is set to reshape multiple industries and profoundly influence the trajectory of technological advancement.

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（Source: uSMART HK）