Disruption by Google: Willow, the Next-Generation Quantum Processor

Google recently unveiled its new quantum processor, named Willow, marking a significant milestone in quantum computing. Developed by the Google Quantum AI team, Willow stands out with several notable advancements compared to its predecessors.

Technical Specifications of Willow:

  • Number of Qubits: Willow integrates 105 qubits, surpassing previous generations in processing capacity.
  • Coherence Time (T1): the processor achieves an average coherence time of 98 microseconds, representing a fivefold improvement over the Sycamore processor, which had a coherence time of around 20 microseconds.
  • Quantum Gate Error Rates: two-qubit operations show an average error rate of 0.14%, while simultaneous measurements have an average error rate of 0.67%.
  • Circuit Repetition Frequency: Willow can perform up to 63,000 circuit repetitions per second, showcasing its impressive execution speed.

Performance and Major Breakthroughs:

  • Quantum Error Correction: Willow has achieved a critical milestone in quantum error correction. The logical qubits of the processor now exhibit lifetimes that exceed those of the physical qubits that constitute them, indicating exponential error suppression as the number of physical qubits increases.
  • Computational Power: in a benchmark test based on Random Circuit Sampling, Willow completed a task in under five minutes that would have taken the fastest classical supercomputers approximately 10 septillion years (10^25 years)—far longer than the age of the universe.

Implications and Future Prospects:

The breakthroughs achieved with Willow bring quantum computing closer to practical applications in various fields, including:

  • • Drug Discovery: accurately simulating molecular interactions could accelerate the development of new treatments.
  • • Fusion Energy Research: precise modeling of complex plasma dynamics could drive significant progress toward sustainable energy solutions.
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Willow represents a critical step toward the realization of large-scale, error-corrected quantum systems capable of solving problems previously deemed unsolvable by classical means.

By Luc Bretones, via LinkedIn