Google achieves quantum advantage, 13,000 times faster than supercomputers

Google has announced that its Willow quantum processor has mapped molecular structures 13,000 times faster than modern supercomputers, marking the first verifiable “quantum advantage.”

This experiment uses the technique of “quantum echoes” (quantum echoes), allowing for the imaging of a molecule's details by sending precise signals to a qubit and then measuring the feedback signals.

Google asserts that the results can be reproduced on any quantum system with the same specifications.

Experts warn that when quantum computers become powerful enough, they could break the encryption algorithms protecting Bitcoin and the entire current digital financial system. However, according to the YouTube channel Mental Outlaw, current quantum technology can only crack 22-bit keys – still far from the 2,048–4,096 bit encryption standards.

Investors and companies are pushing for the adoption of “post-quantum” encryption standards before 2035 to avoid risks as this technology reaches a dangerous threshold.

Four steps in Google's recent quantum computer experiment. Source: Google