Google’s Willow quantum chip outperforms the world’s fastest supercomputer in a landmark test, raising new questions about the future of quantum computing.
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| Google’s latest quantum breakthrough moves the field beyond theory, bringing practical applications in chemistry and materials science closer to reality. Image: CH |
Tech Desk — February 2, 2026:
For years, quantum computing has been defined as much by its promises as by its limitations. Google’s Willow quantum chip now appears to have shifted that balance, delivering a result that many researchers see as one of the most convincing demonstrations yet of quantum computing’s practical advantage over classical machines.
According to Google Quantum AI, Willow completed a complex calculation involving 65 qubits in just 2.1 hours—a task that would take Frontier, the world’s most powerful classical supercomputer, an estimated 3.2 years. While Frontier can perform quintillions of calculations per second, the comparison underscores a fundamental truth about quantum machines: for certain problems, raw speed matters less than how computation is structured at the quantum level.
Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI, described the result as the first instance of “verifiable quantum superiority” achieved by hardware. The emphasis on verification reflects lingering skepticism in the field following earlier claims that were difficult to reproduce or limited to abstract benchmarks. In contrast, Willow’s achievement is framed as both experimentally grounded and independently measurable.
At the heart of the breakthrough is a technique known as “quantum echo.” Quantum information is notoriously fragile, often disappearing into noise before it can be measured. Google’s researchers addressed this by allowing quantum information to evolve forward in time and then reversing the process through targeted manipulation of specific qubits. This forward-and-backward evolution creates an internal interferometer that preserves subtle quantum signals long enough to be detected.
The implications extend beyond outperforming classical supercomputers. The same method enables what scientists call Hamiltonian learning—the ability to extract detailed information about molecular structures and chemical reactions that traditional simulations cannot accurately model. This capability could prove transformative in areas such as drug discovery, materials science, and next-generation battery design, where understanding quantum-level interactions is critical.
Despite the milestone, major challenges remain. Quantum hardware is still highly sensitive to errors, and each imperfect gate operation slightly disrupts the intended computation. While the quantum echo method mitigates some of these effects, reversibility is not flawless. Google’s next objective is to improve stability and reduce error rates, a prerequisite for scaling the technology beyond controlled experiments.
The publication of the findings in Nature lends weight to the achievement, placing it within the peer-reviewed scientific record. More broadly, Willow’s success signals a shift in how progress in quantum computing is measured. Rather than headline-grabbing claims alone, the field is increasingly focused on reliability, validation, and usefulness.
Google’s Willow chip does not mark the arrival of fully practical quantum computers, but it does suggest the field has crossed a critical threshold. For the first time, quantum computing’s advantage is not just theoretical—it is demonstrable, repeatable, and increasingly relevant to real-world problems.