Google Quantum AI has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in quantum computing by demonstrating the possibility of fault-tolerant quantum computing. For the first time, a logical qubit has met all criteria, showcasing the effectiveness of quantum error correction.
While there are still many challenges to overcome, this breakthrough provides exponential leverage in reducing logical errors with processor improvements. For instance, reducing physical error rates by a factor of two would improve the distance-27 logical performance by four orders of magnitude, making it well within algorithmically relevant error rates.
The research highlights the importance of scaling up quantum algorithms, which requires significant advancements in real-time decoding as syndrome measurements per cycle increase quadratically with code distance. The team also identified a noise floor at an error rate of 1 in ten billion caused by correlated bursts of errors, emphasizing the need to mitigate this error mechanism to run larger quantum algorithms.
Google’s achievement marks a global first, meeting three key standards for a logical qubit: below threshold, breakeven, and repeatable in real-time. This rapid pace of quantum computing underscores the leadership of superconducting circuits in Quantum Error Correction.
Source: https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/09/google-quantu-ai-proves-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing-is-possible.html