Willow: What Google's landmark error-correcting chip means for the world of quantum computing
Hindustan Times West UP|December 13, 2024
NEW DELHI: Google has just announced a new quantum chip, Willow, and the breakthrough needs to be read right in order to understand its implications.
Kabir Firaque
Willow: What Google's landmark error-correcting chip means for the world of quantum computing

Yes, it is an exciting fact that Willow took under 5 minutes to perform a benchmark computation for which an existing supercomputer would need 10 septillion years, which is 1 followed by 25 zeros. The real achievement, however, is not just the computation, but also about a long-standing challenge that was conquered in getting Willow to perform it.

The keyword is "error correction below threshold", something that headlines Google's paper in Nature on the chip. This effectively means that a higher number of qubits (short for quantum bit, quantum computing's equivalent of the bit) increases error correction exponentially. The concept already existed in theory, and Google's demonstration holds the promise of scaling it up to quantum computers of the future.

What the achievement foretells, however, is best understood if one looks first at the challenge that preceded it.

What it means

Qubits, the basic units of quantum information, are prone to errors caused by interactions with the environment, with each other, and random fluctuations. These can cause qubits to lose their properties and hamper the quest to build mass-use quantum computers that can ultimately replace classical computers. The immediate objective, therefore, has been to find ways to correct those errors.

The idea is to incorporate error correction codes in "logical qubits", each created across a number of "physical qubits". When we talk of a physical qubit, we are referring to a piece of physical hardware in the form of an electron or a photon. A logical qubit is an abstraction rather than a single physical object, a system that is implemented using the physical qubits that it is built across. As such, it works in a way that is more complex than any of these physical qubit does.

Denne historien er fra December 13, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times West UP.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 13, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times West UP.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA HINDUSTAN TIMES WEST UPSe alt
Hindustan Times West UP

T20I: Under-fire Kaur's India face gritty West Indies

MUMBAI: Her poor leadership under constant scanner, a beleaguered Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur will need to quickly pick up pieces from the Australia series debacle as hosts take on West Indies in the opening game of the three-match WT20I series starting here on Sunday.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 15, 2024
Hindustan Times West UP

NO DECISION ON SINNER DOPING CASE BEFORE NEW YEAR, SAYS WADA

Tennis star Jannik Sinner's doping case will not have a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) before the end of the year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) told AFP.

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
Hindustan Times West UP

England fight back on Day 1 of third NZ Test

HAMILTON: New Zealand failed to capitalise on a rock-steady start to reach 315-9 on day one of the third and final Test against England in Hamilton on Saturday.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 15, 2024
Title decided not just by chess but better willpower
Hindustan Times West UP

Title decided not just by chess but better willpower

LONDON: New chess world champion D Gukesh is hardly perturbed by the criticism over the standard of his match against China's Ding Liren, saying big matches are not decided purely by how well a game is played but also by willpower and character, which he possesses in ample measure.

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
Manchester derby brings sleepless nights for Pep, problems for Amorim
Hindustan Times West UP

Manchester derby brings sleepless nights for Pep, problems for Amorim

LONDON: Riddled with anxiety about Manchester City's shocking decline, Pep Guardiola will endure another sleepless night as he tries to pose more problems for Ruben Amorim in the Manchester United manager's first taste of the Premier League's most explosive rivalry.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 15, 2024
Australian openers start well on rain curtailed day
Hindustan Times West UP

Australian openers start well on rain curtailed day

BRISBANE: Local hero Usman Khawaja and young Nathan McSweeney displayed sound defensive technique against Jasprit Bumrah but persistent rain played havoc with the opening day of the third Test, allowing only 13.2 overs of play in which Australia scored 28 for no loss against India, here Saturday.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 15, 2024
OpenAI's battle with Musk exposes AI 'dictatorship' concerns
Hindustan Times West UP

OpenAI's battle with Musk exposes AI 'dictatorship' concerns

A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence \"dictatorship\" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 15, 2024
Hindustan Times West UP

US court denies TikTok ban halt

WASHINGTON: A federal appeals court has left in place a mid-January deadline in a federal law requiring TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the United States, rejecting a request made by the company to halt enforcement until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge of the statute.

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
18 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza
Hindustan Times West UP

18 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Saturday, medics said, while the Israeli military said it targeted gunmen operating from shelters and aid storages.

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
Protesters in South Korea rejoice as lawmakers impeach President Yoon
Hindustan Times West UP

Protesters in South Korea rejoice as lawmakers impeach President Yoon

K-pop fans turned out in droves, waving glow sticks representing their favourite pop groups and mostly pushing for Yoon's ouster

time-read
2 mins  |
December 15, 2024