Willow processor

Last updated
Willow processor
DeveloperGoogle Quantum AI
TypeQuantum processor
Release dateDecember 9, 2024
PredecessorSycamore

The Willow processor is a 105-qubit superconducting quantum computing processor developed by Google Quantum AI and manufactured in Santa Barbara, California. [1] Willow is the first chip to achieve below threshold quantum error correction. [1] [2]

On December 9, 2024, Google Quantum AI announced Willow in a Nature paper [2] and company blogpost, [1] and claiming two accomplishments: First, that Willow can reduce errors exponentially as the number of qubits is scaled, achieving below threshold quantum error correction. [1] [2] Second, that Willow completed a Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark task in 5 minutes that would take today's fastest supercomputers 10 septillion (1025) years. [3] [4]

Willow is constructed with a square grid of superconducting transmon physical qubits. [2] Improvements over past work were attributed to improved fabrication techniques, participation ratio engineering, and circuit parameter optimization. [2]

Willow prompted optimism in accelerating applications in pharmaceuticals, material science, logistics, drug discovery, and energy grid allocation. [3] Popular media responses discussed its risk in breaking cryptographic systems, [3] but a Google spokesman said that they were still at least 10 years out from breaking RSA. [5] [6] Hartmut Neven, founder and lead of Google Quantum AI, told the BBC that Willow would be used in practical applications, [4] and in the announcement blogpost expressed the belief that advanced AI will benefit from quantum computing. [1]

Willow follows the release of Foxtail in 2017, Bristlecone in 2018, and Sycamore in 2019. Willow has twice as many qubits as Sycamore [3] and improves upon T1 coherence time from Sycamore's 20 microseconds to 100 microseconds. [1] Willow's 105 qubits have an average connectivity of 3.47. [1]

Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI, prompted controversy [7] [8] by claiming that the success of Willow "lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse, a prediction first made by David Deutsch." [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hartmut Neven (2024-12-09). "Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip". Google. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Acharya, Rajeev; Abanin, Dmitry A.; Aghababaie-Beni, Laleh; Aleiner, Igor; Andersen, Trond I.; Ansmann, Markus; Arute, Frank; Arya, Kunal; Asfaw, Abraham; Astrakhantsev, Nikita; Atalaya, Juan; Babbush, Ryan; Bacon, Dave; Ballard, Brian; Bardin, Joseph C. (2024-12-09). "Quantum error correction below the surface code threshold". Nature: 1–3. arXiv: 2408.13687 . doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08449-y. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   39653125.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Riani, Abdo. "What Does Google's Willow Chip Mean For Startups In 2025". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  4. 1 2 "Google unveils 'mind-boggling' quantum computing chip". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  5. ↑ Williams, Kevin (2024-12-22). "What Google's quantum computing breakthrough Willow means for the future of bitcoin and other cryptos". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  6. ↑ Hollister, Sean (2024-12-12). "Google says its breakthrough quantum chip can't break modern cryptography". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  7. ↑ Swayne, Matt (2024-12-16). "Google's Quantum Chip Sparks Debate on Multiverse Theory". The Quantum Insider. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  8. ↑ Cost, Ben (2024-12-15). "Google scientist believes quantum chip could prove multiverse's existence". New York Post. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
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