Google hails breakthrough as quantum computer surpasses ability of supercomputers

"Google has claimed a breakthrough in quantum computing after developing an algorithm that performed a task beyond the capabilities of conventional computers. The algorithm, a set of instructions guiding the operation of a quantum computer, was able to compute the structure of a molecule which paves the way for major discoveries in areas such as medicine and materials science. Google acknowledged, however, that real-world use of quantum computers remained years away. This is the first time in history that any quantum computer has successfully run a verifiable algorithm that surpasses the ability of supercomputers, Google said in a blogpost. This repeatable, beyond-classical computation is the basis for scalable verification, bringing quantum computers closer to becoming tools for practical applications."

"The algorithm breakthrough, enabling a quantum computer to operate 13,000 times faster than a classical computer, was detailed in a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature on Wednesday. One expert cautioned that the Google achievement, while impressive, focused on a narrow scientific problem without significant real-world impact. The results for two molecules were cross-checked with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) the same technology behind MRI scans and revealed information not normally revealed by NMR."

A quantum algorithm performed a verifiable, repeatable task beyond the reach of classical supercomputers by computing the structure of a molecule. The computation produced verifiable results for two molecules and achieved an effective 13,000-fold speedup compared with classical methods. The results were cross-checked with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and revealed information not normally revealed by NMR. The achievement constitutes the first repeatable, beyond-classical computation enabling scalable verification and moves quantum systems closer to practical applications in medicine and materials. Experts caution the advance targets a narrow scientific problem and that fully fault-tolerant quantum computers remain years away.

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