Quantum AI's vision is to build a useful, large-scale quantum computer that can harness quantum mechanics to benefit society by tackling some of society’s most significant challenges.
WILLOWCHIP
Quantum computing uses the principles of quantum mechanics to process information and applies it to the computing industry. Research into the applications of quantum computing began over twenty years ago. In the last five years, the area has rapidly developed as large-scale tech and computing companies have invested heavily.
Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that describes the behaviour of matter and energy at the level of atoms and subatomic particles. It provides a mathematical framework to help explain phenomena that classical physics cannot, such as quantum superposition and entanglement.
Research into how the principles of quantum mechanics could be applied to quantum computing began in the 1980s. The last five years have seen rapid growth and development in the field, with Google announcing the Sycamore Chip in 2019 and the Willow Chip in late 2024.
Key principles of Quantum Computing
Unlike classical computers, which use bits as the smallest unit of information (represented as 0s and 1s), quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits, which can exist simultaneously in multiple states due to what is known as superposition.
The key principles of Quantum Computing are:
- Superposition: Qubits can represent 0, 1, or both simultaneously, allowing quantum computers to process vast amounts of data and explore many possibilities simultaneously. This results in more efficient solutions to complex problems.
- Entanglement: When qubits are entangled, the state of one qubit is directly related to the state of another, even if they are far apart. This interconnectivity enhances computational capabilities.
- Quantum Interference: Used to refine and amplify correct solutions in computations.
What is a Quantum Chip?
A quantum chip is a specialised processor designed to perform quantum computations. Because quantum chips use qubits (quantum bits) that exist in a superposition of states, representing both 0 and 1 simultaneously, the result is that computers are no longer restricted to binary choices but have the power to come up with several solutions for specific tasks.
Google’s Quantum Chips – Sycamore and Willow
Since 2012, when Hartmut Neven founded Google Quantum AI, Google has been researching quantum computing. Quantum AI's vision is to build a useful, large-scale quantum computer that can harness quantum mechanics to benefit society by tackling some of society’s most significant challenges.
Sycamore Chip
The Sycamore Chip was announced in 2019. It was claimed that Sycamore had achieved quantum supremacy by completing a computation in 200 seconds that would have taken classical supercomputers thousands of years to complete.
However, despite the claims of Sycamore’s power, there were problems with the chip, which included the following:
- Scalability: The Sycamore chip had 53 qubits. In 2019, increasing the number of qubits was challenging as it was difficult to maintain control and coherence. While scalability is improving, particularly in Willow, it remains an ongoing challenge for quantum computing.
- Error Rates: Sycamore did not have advanced error-correction techniques for fault-tolerant quantum computing.
- Practical Applications: The Sycamore chip was primarily a proof-of-concept device designed to demonstrate the feasibility of quantum supremacy. Consequently, the computational tasks were not practical or directly applicable to real-world problems.
However, the Sycamore chip was pivotal in demonstrating the potential of quantum computing. It showed that quantum computers could outperform classical systems in specific tasks.
Willow Chip
The Willow chip, announced in December 2024, is built on the foundation of the Sycamore chip and represents a critical step forward in realising quantum computing's full potential.
Willow features 105 qubits, a substantial increase over Sycamore’s 53 qubits. Willow has advanced error correction mechanisms and is scalable, paving the way for potential future technological applications.
Application of Quantum Chip to industry and technology
With the development of Willow, the quantum chip has moved a step closer to being used in the world of industry and technology to address and solve what has been, up to now, unsolvable.
Some of the areas where quantum chips may be useful include:
Pharmaceutical Industry
Quantum chips can potentially simulate molecular interactions and quantum systems at an atomic level, which can lead to:
· Faster drug discovery and design; and
· Improved understanding of chemical reactions.
Financial Services
Quantum chips can process large datasets and optimise investment portfolios by exploring many combinations simultaneously. This minimises risk while potentially maximising returns. It also enables the calculation of fair market prices for complex derivatives.
Energy Sector
Quantum computing could optimise energy distribution in large power grids, ensuring efficiency and reliability.
Quantum chips may also enable the design of better batteries and superconducting materials, enabling advancements in renewable energy storage and distribution.
Quantum chips can process large datasets and optimise investment portfolios by exploring many combinations simultaneously.
Supply Chain and Logistics
Quantum chips could solve several problems at once, such as
· Finding the most efficient delivery routes.
· Minimising transportation costs; and
· Optimizing inventory management.
This would enable companies with global operations, like FedEx or Amazon, to use quantum chips to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Cybersecurity and Cryptography
It is possible that quantum chips could break widely used encryption methods such as RSA. The RSA encryption method was first described in 1977 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman, hence the name. This encryption uses two keys: a public key and a private key. The security of RSA is based on the mathematical challenge of factoring large integers. However, a quantum chip could break the security of such an encryption method, making existing systems obsolete.
The Wall Street Journal published an article on 23 December 2024 warning that quantum chips such as Willow could enable hackers to break the encryption that keeps Bitcoin secure. If this were to occur, the losses could be in the trillions of dollars.
Climate Science and Sustainability
Quantum chips can process vast amounts of climate data, which would enable more accurate and detailed models of weather events to be created. This would benefit agricultural industries, enabling yields to be optimised. Predicting weather events such as superstorms, where lives may be lost would also be important.
The Challenges that remain for Quantum Computing
Google’s Willow quantum chip is a significant advance in quantum computing, particularly in addressing quantum error correction, which has been a critical hurdle up until now. However, despite the advances, several challenges remain.
Error Rates and Quantum Error Correction (QEC)
Quantum systems are inherently susceptible to errors due to decoherence and operational inaccuracies. While Willow has advanced error correction capabilities, achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing requires further reduction in error rates.
Qubits exist in a ‘superposition’ state, making them susceptible to environmental interference errors. Without effective error correction qubits lose stability too quickly to perform useful computations.
While Willow is an improvement on Sycamore, further work is required to reduce the error rates.
Scalability
The ability to scale quantum processors to accommodate more qubits without compromising coherence and control remains challenging. While the Willow chip is an increase on Sycamore’s 53 qubits, substantial increases in the number of qubits will be necessary for more complex computations.
The ability to integrate with Classical systems
The ability of quantum chips and classical computing resources to communicate seamlessly still requires further development. To benefit the industry and make quantum computing viable, hybrid systems that integrate the resources of quantum chips and classical operating systems must be developed.
Associated with the integration of the two systems is the ongoing work to identify practical areas where quantum chips demonstrate clear advantages over classical computing systems.
Cryogenic Requirements
Like those in Willow, superconducting qubits require extremely low temperatures to function, which currently requires sophisticated and costly cryogenic systems. For quantum chips to have broader use and applications, more practical and less resource-intensive cooling solutions will be required.
The Future of Google’s Quantum Chip
Google’s Willow chip is a significant advancement in quantum computing and demonstrates capabilities beyond the current classical systems. It is a critical step toward developing fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of solving real-world problems.
However, while quantum chip technology holds immense promise, its inherent challenges must be addressed effectively before it is widely adopted across various industries. Despite practical large-scale applications still being years away, industries that invest in quantum computing research and integration will likely gain significant competitive advantages in the future.
The Willow chip is a significant advancement and represents Google’s ongoing commitment to leading the quantum computing revolution. Willow positions Google as a leader; however, it is facing competition from IBM, IonQ, and others. Google’s progress will likely be compared against advancements in competing quantum technologies such as trapped ions and photonic qubits.
Hence, in an increasingly competitive field, Google will need to focus on breakthrough innovations, reducing resource requirements, and optimising the efficiency of its quantum systems.
