Google breakthrough in quantum computer error correction explained by Sundar Pichai

Google has claimed a major breakthrough in quantum computer error correction. Admitting that there is a long road ahead, the tech giant has said that its AI researchers - for the first time - "have experimentally demonstrated that it’s possible to reduce computing errors by increasing the number of qubits". In quantum computing, a qubit is defined as a basic unit of quantum information that can take on richer states that extend beyond just 0 and 1 when compared to a classic computer. The breakthrough could help in a significant shift in how quantum computers are operated, said Google CEO Sundar Pichai as he explained the importance of the finding in a blog.

Sundar Pichai shares details of the 'breakthrough'

"Our quantum computers work by manipulating qubits in an orchestrated fashion that we call quantum algorithms. The challenge is that qubits are so sensitive that even stray light can cause calculation errors," Pichai wrote. The problem worsens, he said, as quantum computers grow. "This has significant consequences, since the best quantum algorithms that we know for running useful applications require the error rates of our qubits to be far lower than we have today. To bridge this gap, we will need quantum error correction," he further explained.

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For useful calculations, error rates need to be low. "By encoding larger numbers of physical qubits on our quantum processor into one logical qubit, we hope to reduce the error rates to enable useful quantum algorithms," the Google CEO underlined. This is the first time, according to Google, that anyone has achieved this experimental milestone of scaling a logical qubit, which is formed when quantum error correction protects information by encoding it across multiple physical qubits.

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Quantum computers and future

From identification of molecules for new medicines, to creating fertilizer using less energy, designing more efficient sustainable technologies from batteries to nuclear fusion reactors, quantum computers could significantly grow in usefulness in future, said Pichai.

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The tech giant has partnered with governments and communities for responsible computing. "We’ll continue to work towards a day when quantum computers can work in tandem with classical computers to expand the boundaries of human knowledge and help us find solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems," he concluded in his blog.

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