Google claims its latest quantum algorithm can outperform supercomputers on a real-world task

Google Quantum AI researchers report that their quantum processor, Willow, ran an algorithm for a quantum computer that solved a complex physics problem thousands of times faster than the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers. If confirmed, it would be one of the first demonstrations of a practical quantum advantage, in which a quantum computer solves a real-world problem faster and more accurately than a classical computer.

In a new paper published in the journal The naturethe researchers provided details on how their algorithm, called quantum echo, measured the complex behavior of particles in highly entangled quantum systems. These are systems in which multiple particles are linked so that they share the same fate even when physically separated. If you measure a property of one particle, you immediately know something about the others. This relationship makes the overall system so complex that it is difficult to model on ordinary computers.

Quantum echo algorithms use a concept called out-of-time order concentration (OTOC), which measures how quickly information propagates and permeates a quantum system. The researchers chose this particular measurement because, as they explain in the paper, “OTOCs have quantum interference effects that make them sensitive to the details of quantum dynamics and high sensitivity to OTOCs.⁽²⁾also the high level of complexity of classical simulations. Thus, OTOCs are viable candidates for realizing practical quantum gain. “

The algorithm relies on a clever “temporal trick”. A quantum computer runs the system forward, scrambles it a bit, and then changes the process significantly. In this experiment, they used second-order OTOC-OTOC⁽²⁾a more complex form of OTOC. This creates a strong “quantum echo” that extracts useful information from the system’s chaos. For that task, which was to study how information propagates rapidly in a complex quantum state, the quantum chip performed calculations 13,000 times faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer.

This isn’t the first time the Google team has demonstrated a major quantum feat. In 2019, they claimed “quantum supremacy” when their Sycamore chip solved a highly technical problem faster than a supercomputer. However, what makes this different is that while the previous experiment focused on solving an ill-defined problem (which was eventually solved by classical algorithms running on supercomputers), this new result addresses a real-world physics problem.

Ultimately, what this research means is that we may be moving closer to a day when quantum computers are routinely used to solve complex problems that are currently beyond the reach of supercomputers. This could include discovering new materials, designing better drugs and creating more accurate climate models.

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