Google unveils quantum сhip сapable of 5-Minute сalculations, replacing 10 septillion years

Google’s Quantum Computing Lab has announced a groundbreaking advancement with its latest quantum processor, the Willow chip, equipped with 105 qubits. This chip completes calculations in under 5 minutes that would otherwise take the world’s fastest supercomputer an astonishing 10 septillion years — a timespan far exceeding the universe’s age.

Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI, described this as a "historic milestone," highlighting significant progress in scaling quantum systems while reducing errors. Quantum error correction, a challenge first identified in 1995, has remained one of the biggest hurdles to practical quantum computing.

Google’s next objective is to achieve the first practical non-classical computation, solving real-world problems that classical computers cannot handle. Potential applications include optimizing AI training, accelerating drug discovery, advancing battery technology, and innovating in renewable energy solutions.

The Willow chip also marks a leap in managing quantum errors. Unlike classical bits, qubits can exist in superposition — multiple states at once — but their sensitivity to environmental factors often causes instability and errors. Google has tackled this by scaling the number of qubits and incorporating real-time error correction mechanisms, improving both accuracy and reliability.

This milestone follows Google’s controversial 2019 claim, where its quantum processor solved a computation in 3 minutes that would have taken a supercomputer 10,000 years — a result contested by IBM. With Willow, Google not only demonstrates unprecedented speed but also enhanced system stability, bringing quantum computing closer to practical use.