Google’s quantum computer, Sycamore, has solved a random sampling problem 47 years faster than the fastest supercomputer, Frontier. Sycamore operates with 70 qubits and is approximately 241 million times more powerful than its predecessor with 53 qubits. The significant increase in performance is not primarily due to the higher number of qubits, but rather other factors, including the quality of the connection between them. To demonstrate the power of Sycamore, researchers gave it a random sampling task. The quantum computer had to produce random numbers with a specific probability distribution, from which a continuous sample was drawn. The Frontier supercomputer, the current fastest conventional computer, also began calculating the task. While the Google quantum computer was able to solve the task within a few seconds, the Frontier supercomputer would have taken around 47 years to complete it.
However, there is always skepticism regarding the significance of such performance tests. In their current conception by the Google research team, they appear to be purely theoretical, without immediate practical relevance. Their main purpose is to demonstrate quantum superiority, the point at which the capacity of a quantum computer significantly exceeds that of a supercomputer. The recent experiment may have also achieved a significant breakthrough. With the increasing speed at which random quantum processes are generated and interpreted, disruptive noises can be minimized. They cause faulty measurement results and are one of the major challenges in research.
The potential of quantum computing is enormous, and the recent achievement by Google’s Sycamore is a significant step forward. While there is still much to be done to make quantum computing practical and accessible, the progress made so far is promising. As the technology continues to evolve, it is likely that quantum computing will become an essential tool in solving complex problems that are currently beyond the capabilities of conventional computers.
