PARIS: Google scientists said on Wednesday they have passed a major milestone in their quest to develop effective quantum computing, with a new study showing they reduced the rate of errors — long an obstacle for the much-hyped technology.
Quantum computing has been touted as a revolutionary advance that uses our growing scientific understanding of the subatomic world to create a machine with powers far beyond those of today’s conventional computers.
However, the technology remains largely theoretical, with many thorny problems still standing in the way — including stubbornly high error rates.
In new research published in the journal Nature, the Google Quantum AI lab described a system that can significantly decrease the error rate. That could give the US tech giant a step up on its rivals such as IBM, which is also working on superconducting quantum processors.
While traditional computers process information in bits that can be represented by 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can be a combination of both at the same time.
This property, known as superposition, means that a quantum computer can crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously.
The computers harness some of the most mind-boggling aspects of quantum mechanics, including a phenomenon known as “entanglement”—in which two members of a pair of bits can exist in a single state, even if far apart.