Google has reportedly developed a quantum computer that can instantly make calculations that would take the world's most advanced supercomputers 47 years or nearly half a century to process.
The capabilities of today's computers are astounding. But despite all the wonders these marvelous machines can do, humans strive to go even faster, and Google's researchers are no exception.
The researchers recently announced this significant step forward in the capabilities of today's computers. It involved Google's quantum computer, which currently requires specific conditions to operate and struggles to stay stable and without errors. However, despite these limitations, its computing potential is becoming more admirable each time.
How Does a Google Quantum Computer Work?
Google's quantum computer works with quantum bits (qubits). That means one qubit is the basic unit of information in quantum computing, just like one binary bit is the basic unit for traditional computing. But there is a difference.
A binary bit can only have a single binary value (0 or 1), meaning it can only be one of two possible binary states. A qubit can represent 0, 1, or any proportion of the two values in a superposition of both states, with a certain probability of being 0 and 1.
The amount of information a quantum computing system represents grows exponentially. For example, 500 qubits of information can't be matched even by two raised to the power of 500. Another comparison can be made through computing speed.
A classical computer would take millions of years to determine the prime factors of a 2,048-bit number. A qubit-based computer would only take minutes.
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How Powerful Is Google's Quantum Computer?
Google's current quantum computer operates with 70 operational qubits. For lack of a better process, the research team tested using a complex, synthetic benchmark called Random Circuit Sampling (RCS).
They took readings from randomly generated quantum processes using RCS, which maximized the computing speed and minimized the chances of outside noise affecting the outcome. After that, researchers estimated how long an existing supercomputer would take to make the same calculation.
The Hewlett Packard Enterprise Frontier, or OLCF-5, is known as the world's first and fastest exascale supercomputer. It can reportedly solve calculations five times faster than other top supercomputers, exceeding more than a quintillion calculations per second.
Google's research team estimated the Frontier supercomputer would take 47 years to do the same computation their quantum computer did in seconds. Some Google engineers did a similar test to a 53-qubit quantum computer in 2019.
Even though the researchers were convinced that this shows the supremacy of quantum computing, many are still skeptical about how useful these simulations are in the real world.
Some even said that how supercomputers are compared to these quantum machines today is a bit suspicious as this is the first time these processes are scrutinized against each other.
Furthermore, some experts are also concerned about quantum noise, which is the fragility and uncertainty in how a quantum computer works because they deal with probabilities. However, there is no doubt in the minds of some that the new age of computing truly has come.
Related Article: Microsoft Estimates Quantum Computer Capable of 10 to 100 Terabits Per Second Would Make the Tech Easier to Use
