Google Claims First Ever Quantum Processor Computation

Could quantum computing already be upon us? According to Google, they have created a quantum processor which bests any of the world’s supercomputers. According to the report, Google’s quantum computer can perform a calculation in 3 minutes which would take IBM’s most powerful commercial computer some 10,000 years. The report was posted on a NASA website before being deleted later in the week, perhaps indicating that there is more work to be done before the official unveiling.

Google claims to have reached quantum supremacy https://t.co/YiL0nvnrH8

— Financial Times (@FT) September 20, 2019

Quantum Computing Is True?

The report is, admittedly, a little hard to believe. A quantum computer which processing information this quickly would not only be unprecedented, but it would fundamentally transform our world beyond imagination. Yet, the Google report did not falter on its claims that the company had achieved ‘quantum supremacy.’ It claims that it is the first computation ever performed on a quantum processor. In March 2018, Google unveiled its 72-qubit quantum computer chip Bristlecone which it claimed could someday successfully achieve quantum supremacy with. It’s unclear whether this was the chip which was ultimately responsible for the breakthrough outlined in the paper, but it would seem likely.

An Unprecedented Disruption

The impact of quantum computing on our everyday world can’t be understated. It would fundamentally change physics and chemistry, for one, allowing for recreations of scientific phenomena not currently possible on every day, binary computations. Moreover, quantum computing would have a revolutionary impact on artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, solar panels, the creation of new medicines, and so much more. In short, it would fundamentally uproot how we understand our modern world. So, could it really be that Google has successfully achieved some level of quantum supremacy? Judging from the reports, yes, however, we will have to wait for the official unveiling of computational breakthrough to really see if it works as intended. There’s little reason to suggest that Google would be interested in hyping quantum computing if it had nothing to show for. Do you believe that we could see quantum computing in the coming decade? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.

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