Alphabet Inc.’s Google has reanimated excitement over quantum computing with an announcement about how its new chip, Willow, trounced a classical computer to solve a mathematical equation much faster. More important, Google said it had crossed a crucial threshold on the way to an error-free quantum computer, the holy grail of the technology. The tech world has been down this hype alley before. Google instigated that round with the 2019 introduction of its Sycamore processor, which also solved a mathematical equation that led the company to claim quantum supremacy over classical computers. News articles exhausted every angle in describing how these magical machines were going to impact each industry in the future. That enthusiasm fizzled out because while the machines were proven, they were not ready for widespread use. Besides, Nvidia Corp. keeps making superpowerful chips that are pretty good at simulating quantum computing without the technical drawbacks.

Full opinion : Why Google’s Willow chip could be a gamechanger in the field of quantum computing.

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