Sycamore chip: Google has the perfect ingredient for using quantum computers

An important step has been taken toward making quantum computers useful in “real life.” Google Quantum AI researchers have shown that quantum computers can outperform classical supercomputers, thanks to a revolutionary chip.

study published This Wednesday in nature Show that the world's fastest supercomputers can be surpassed thanks to… Google's 67-qubit Sycamore chip.

how Live sciencesScientists discovered a “computationally complex stable phase” called… “Weak noise stage”which allows quantum processing units (QPU) to perform very complex calculations that are impossible to perform on the fastest classical computers.

Uses of quantum computers QubitWhich processes mathematical operations in parallel, unlike the parts of classical computers that operate in serial. This mechanism enables quantum computers to work In second calculations that would take thousands of years on classical computers.

but, Qubits are very sensitive and error-prone“, known as “noise.” Currently, approximately 1 in 100 qubits fail, a much higher error rate than classical qubits.

To achieve quantitative superiority, this will be necessary Increasing the efficiency of error correction or developing quantum computers with millions of qubits.

Revolutionary chip

In this experiment, detailed by Live Science, scientists tested the precision of a two-dimensional lattice of superconducting qubits using a method called… Random circuit sampling (RCS)which compares the performance of quantum computers with classical ones.

The experiment showed that – thanks to Google's 67-qubit Sycamore chip – Qubits may finally move into 'weak noise phase'The calculations become so complex that quantum computers outperform classical machines.

Although it is still necessary to improve error correction and increase the size of quantum computers, this progress is an important milestone in the development of quantum applications that cannot be replicated by classical computers.

“This is a passage to Access to real world applicationswhich goes beyond classic commercial applications. These applications should not be replicable on a classic PC. Our results from this research constitute an important step in this direction, Google Quantum AI representatives told Live Science.