Google’s latest quantum computing chip, “Willow”, has been unveiled, and its announcement has sent Alphabet shares soaring 6% on Tuesday. The company claims that Willow performs significantly better than its predecessor in a quantum computing benchmark.
Developed using uncertain “qubits” to represent numbers instead of transistors, the chip reduces expected errors faster as it gets bigger. This is a significant breakthrough in the development of better quantum computers. Google’s goal is to build a system with 1 million qubits, and Willow brings them closer to achieving practical applications.
The company plans to use Willow for areas like drug discovery, fusion energy, and battery design. Quantum computing is expected to be useful for large-scale simulations and code breaking but may not be possible for years or decades. Google is not the only tech giant working on quantum computing; Nvidia, Microsoft, and IBM are also involved.
Notable figures such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised the announcement on social media. Pichai replied to Musk’s comment about a potential quantum cluster in space with Starship, leaving room for speculation about Google’s future plans.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/10/alphabet-shares-jump-5percent-after-google-touts-breakthrough-quantum-chip-.html