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Google has unveiled a groundbreaking quantum computer capable of performing a calculation in less than five minutes that would take the world’s most powerful supercomputer an inconceivable 10 septillion years—far longer than the age of the universe. This achievement underscores the growing promise of quantum computing, a field once dismissed as science fiction.
First envisioned in the 1980s, quantum computing uses the peculiar properties of quantum mechanics to manipulate “qubits”—units that can simultaneously hold a 1 and a 0. Unlike traditional computers, which rely on binary bits, quantum systems exponentially increase computational power as the number of qubits rises. However, building stable qubits has been a decades-long challenge due to their extreme fragility.
In its latest advance, Google’s machine, based on a superconducting chip named Willow, has surpassed the “error correction threshold,” a crucial milestone for reducing the inherent mistakes that plague quantum systems. This progress is detailed in a paper published in Nature, and experts believe it sets the stage for breakthroughs in areas like drug discovery, artificial intelligence, and cryptography.
Despite its promise, quantum computing is still in its experimental phase. The calculation demonstrated by Google was primarily a benchmark, not a task with immediate practical applications. Rivals such as IBM, Microsoft, and Intel are also racing to achieve “quantum advantage,” when quantum machines outperform classical computers in real-world applications.
With governments like China investing billions in quantum research, the competition for dominance in this transformative field is intensifying. While many challenges remain, scientists agree the question is no longer if quantum computing will revolutionize technology, but when.
“People no longer doubt it will be done,” said Harvard physicist Mikhail Lukin. “The question now is: How soon?”
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