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Experts believe that quantum computers will replace the ‘classical’ computers at our desks in the coming decades and will revolutionize our lives.
By exploiting the strange effects of quantum physics, they will be able to accelerate machine learning, solve climate change and discover new drugs, it is believed.
Now Google claims it has reached a major milestone in the quest to build such a device, achieving “quantum supremacy” – solving problems no classical machine can.
The tech giant says it has created a quantum computer capable of instantaneous calculations that would take even today’s fastest computer 47 years.
If this sounds familiar, Google said it achieved quantum supremacy in 2019, though the claim was questioned by detractors at the time.
Google claims it has achieved “quantum supremacy” – using a quantum device to solve problems no classical machine can. According to Google, the latest version of its Sycamore quantum processor runs at 70 qubits, more than its earlier version of Sycamore which had 53 qubits (pictured)
Rival IBM pointed out that the task Google’s Sycamore quantum computer could perform was not particularly difficult and could technically be done by a classical machine, albeit more slowly.
Four years later, Google researchers claim to have created a more powerful machine with capabilities beyond classical machines – in other words, quantum supremacy.
It remains unclear how much the quantum computer cost to develop, though MailOnline has reached out to Google for more information.
“Quantum computers promise to perform tasks beyond the capabilities of classical computers,” the team says in their paper, published on the arXiv pre print serverhas yet to be peer-reviewed.
‘We estimate the computational costs against improved classical methods and show that our experiment exceeds the capabilities of existing classical supercomputers.’
Quantum technology uses the uncanny effects of quantum physics to massively speed up information processing, which could lead to the most powerful computer on Earth.
Even the fastest computers in existence today, such as the Frontier supercomputer in Tennessee, fall short of the potential of quantum computers.
These “conventional” or “classic” computers use the processing language of binary code, a language based on two states: zeroes or ones.
In the new article, Google demonstrates quantum supremacy or quantum advantage. This graph compares the performance of the 70-qubit quantum computer compared to the previous iteration (Sycamore-53) and the Chinese Zuchongzhi quantum computer
Even the fastest computers in existence today, such as the Frontier supercomputer in Tennessee (pictured), fall short of the potential of quantum computers
But quantum mechanics allows a unit of quantum information – a quantum bit or “qubit” – to be in a state of zero, one or both states at the same time.
According to Google, the latest version of its Sycamore quantum processor runs at 70 qubits, more than its previous version of Sycamore which had 53 qubits.
A quantum processor with 70 qubits means it can store and process 70 quantum bits of information – impossible for a classical computer, no matter how fast or slow it goes.
To put this power increase in perspective, the team says Frontier would take just 6.18 seconds to match a computation from Google’s 53-qubit computer, but would take 47.2 years to match the last. .
Google researchers say they now have the “ultimate goal of demonstrating and verifying beyond classical performance for our 70-qubit device.”
IBM has yet to comment on Google’s new work, but Steve Brierley, CEO of Cambridge-based quantum company Riverlane, told the Telegraph that Google’s new work is a “major milestone.”
“The bickering over whether we had achieved or could indeed achieve quantum supremacy has now been resolved,” he said.
IBM’s Q System One (pictured) is a quantum computer available to businesses and researchers. The IBM Q System One is a powerful quantum computer, but not yet powerful enough to achieve quantum domination
However, Sebastian Weidt, of the University of Sussex’s Ion Quantum Technology group, echoed much of the criticism from 2019 – that Google has yet to demonstrate it solves a useful problem with quantum.
“This is a really nice demonstration of quantum advantage,” Weidt said.
‘Although it’s a great achievement academically, the algorithm used doesn’t really have any practical applications in the real world.
“We really need to move to quantum computing for utilities — an era where quantum computers with many thousands of qubits are really starting to deliver value to society in a way that classical computers never will.”
Professor Winfried Hensinger, director of the Sussex Center for Quantum Technologies, told MailOnline: ‘Google has solved a certain academic problem that is difficult to compute on a conventional computer.
Their most recent demonstration is yet another powerful demonstration that quantum computers are developing at a steady pace.
“The next important step is to build a quantum computer that can correct the inherent errors in their operation.”
The University of Sussex is leading the UK’s effort to build a quantum computer, along with major technology companies such as Google, IBM and Microsoft.
Ultimately, the goal is to build a “commercial” quantum computer, which can be bought by the public.
Since this is still at least a decade or two away, companies are still building “experimental” quantum computers that are still in the research and development stage.
IBM has already created a quantum machine called Q System One, available to companies and researchers.
After it was unveiled in 2019, critics pointed out that it only had 20 qubits and was not powerful enough to achieve quantum supremacy.