In recent years, quantum computing has become one of the fastest growing and most promising fields of science. In a major leap forward, Google has developed a quantum computer that can perform calculations in seconds, whereas the world’s most advanced supercomputers would take almost half a century to perform the same tasks. This marks a turning point in the development of quantum computing and opens up enormous prospects for revolutionary sectors such as climate science and drug discovery.
Quantum computers offer computational speeds that far exceed those of classical computers. They are based on the principles of quantum physics and can store and process information at the level of qubits, which can be at zero, one or both simultaneously. This achievement is unattainable for the fastest classical computers working in binary code language.
However, quantum computing is not without potential drawbacks. They pose serious problems for modern encryption systems and put them at the top of the list of national security concerns. Critics also argue that quantum computers still need to demonstrate greater practicality beyond academic research.
Google recently unveiled its latest development, the Sycamore quantum processor, which contains 70 qubits. This is a significant jump from the previous version, which had only 53 qubits. This 241-million-fold increase in the reliability of the new processor makes it much more powerful and efficient.
The Google team emphasized that quantum computers promise to perform tasks beyond the capabilities of classical computers. They compared computational costs between improved classical methods and the Sycamore quantum processor, and the results showed that the new processor goes beyond the capabilities of existing classical supercomputers.
Even the fastest classical computers currently cannot compete with the potential of quantum computers. For example, it would take just 6.18 seconds for the Frontier supercomputer to match the calculations of Google’s 53-cubic-inch computer, but it would take as much as 47.2 years to match the calculations performed by Google’s latest 70-cubic-inch device.
These significant advances in Google’s quantum computing have delighted many experts. Steve Brierly, CEO of quantum computing company Riverlane, called Google’s advance “a milestone” and noted that the debate about achieving quantum superiority is now resolved.
Google’s quantum computers are ushering in a new era of computing and providing incredible opportunities for a variety of industries. However, many questions remain, including the cost of building such computers and their practicality in the real world. Even so, Google’s development is revolutionary and could lead to a rethinking of the principles of computing that we are used to working with.
