Leap forward in quantum computing 2026

History in the field of quantum computers was written today by Google by revealing just now the innovative algorithm Quantum Echoes, which in combination with the also innovative chip - called Willow - which the company presented last year allows for very fast and verifiable calculations.

We watched the online press conference organized by Google last Thursday and we present to you – right after the embargo was lifted – the details of this huge step in quantum computing. This is a step that makes visible the possibility of using quantum computers in practical applications, such as the design of drugs and new materials.

In other words, thanks to the latest developments, quantum computers seem to be "going up the track" and from objects of research to objects that can be used to conduct research!

Decades of research
But let's take things from the beginning. Through experiments conducted during the 1980s, this year's Nobel laureates Michel Devoret, John Martinis and John Clarke demonstrated that the strange to our visible world laws of quantum mechanics – which give rise to phenomena that previously thought to be limited to atoms and subatomic particles – they could be revealed and controlled in a macroscopic electrical circuit, on a chip.

Michel Devoret

It is no coincidence that Michel Devoret, whose research concerned superconducting qubits (qubits are the information unit of quantum computers), is currently Google's head of research overseeing hardware development. He is the scientist who, among other things, pioneered the creation of the Willow chip on which the Quantum Echoes algorithm "runs".

The excellence of the Willow quantum chip, unveiled last year in December, lies in its inherent ability to dramatically reduce computational errors, solving a problem that has plagued scientists for nearly three decades.

The Willow Chip

Innovative software
Having solved this key hardware problem, Google today also announced a pioneering development in software, presenting with a relevant article in the scientific journal Nature the first verifiable algorithm which actually allows calculations with a speed 13,000 times greater than that of the fastest classical supercomputers!

The term "verifiable" describes the fact that the calculations can be repeated either on Google's quantum computer or any other of the same caliber and return the same answer, confirming the result.

Google quantum computer detail

Inspiring Echo!
The name of the algorithm -Quantum Echoes- is not at all accidental since it is inspired by echolocation, the system used by bats to perceive the space around them and which is based on the perception of the echo that bounces back after the impact of emitted sound on an object.

In a sense, the "echo" of a quantum system is designed to be "heard" by Google's algorithm. Somewhat oversimplified, one could describe the experimentation of Google scientists that proved the capabilities of the algorithm as follows: in an array consisting of 105 qubits on the Willow chip, the researchers send a very specific signal.

Then they cause a perturbation in one of the 105 qubits (the perturbation acts as an amplifier on the finally received signal increasing the sensitivity of the system) and, finally, they reverse the path of the original signal with extreme precision. The signals received from the forward and reverse sequence of "events" interact with each other which creates an "echo" which is revealing of the properties of the quantum system to be studied.

Hands-on verification
To determine whether the Quantum Echoes algorithm actually provides reliable measurements, which makes it suitable for practical applications, Google researchers in collaboration with their colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley, calculated the structure of two chemical molecules and compared their results with those obtained through Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the technique used today for the purpose this.

As said during the press conference, the algorithm not only produced comparable results to those of NMR, but also increased the range of measurements. That is, it can function as a "molecular ruler" measuring even greater distances than those measured using current methods.

And while the relevant article demonstrating the above ability of the algorithm is expected to be published later today, the Google researchers pointed out that their recent experimentation is what in science is called a "proof of concept" and that it may take another 5 years before practical applications can exist. What will they be? From designing medicines and advanced materials for industry (eg materials for more efficient batteries), to understanding how quantum systems work in nature.

Whether what the Google researchers preach will be verified remains to be seen. For now, however, their achievements both in terms of hardware and software are admirable.

SOURCE

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