| Developer | Google Quantum AI |
|---|---|
| Type | Quantum processor |
| Release date | December 9, 2024 |
| Predecessor | Sycamore |
The Willow processor is a 105-qubit superconducting quantum computing chip 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]
Google 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]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip". Google. 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ a b c d Riani, Abdo. "What Does Google's Willow Chip Mean For Startups In 2025". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ a b "Google unveils 'mind-boggling' quantum computing chip". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hollister, Sean (2024-12-12). "Google says its breakthrough quantum chip can't break modern cryptography". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ Swayne, Matt (2024-12-16). "Google's Quantum Chip Sparks Debate on Multiverse Theory". The Quantum Insider. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ Cost, Ben (2024-12-15). "Google scientist believes quantum chip could prove multiverse's existence". New York Post. Retrieved 2025-01-12.