Google (GOOGL.US) achieves major breakthrough in quantum computing! Key error rates reduced by about 40 times, moving closer to practical application

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet (GOOGL.US), announced that it has demonstrated a new technology capable of reducing the error rate of a critical quantum computing process by approximately 40 times, marking progress toward building machines strong enough, reliable enough, and capable of solving problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

Researchers Emma Rosenfeld and Craig Gidney stated in a Google Quantum AI blog post that a study published on October 15 in the scientific journal Science shows that a process called "magic state cultivation" can operate on Google's Willow quantum processor. This technology achieved a record-breaking accuracy rate of 99.99% on the special quantum states necessary for performing certain advanced computations.

This breakthrough addresses a major obstacle in commercial quantum computing: the enormous hardware needed for error prevention. Quantum computers use qubits, which represent and process information in ways traditional computer bits cannot. However, qubits are extremely sensitive to interference, and reliable computation is hard to achieve without substantial error correction.

Why "magic states" are crucial

One particularly expensive step in error correction involves preparing so-called "magic states." These are specially prepared quantum states that enable certain operations required for fully-fledged quantum computers. Unlike conventional computational resources, magic states are consumed during use and must be continually replenished.

Google noted that earlier estimates suggested that preparing these states could consume up to 95% of a quantum computer’s computational power, leaving only a small portion for useful computation. Reducing this burden could allow future quantum computers to be significantly smaller and cheaper to operate.

Google's cultivation technique addresses this issue by starting from an imperfect quantum state and repeatedly checking it for errors. Attempts that fail the checks are discarded, allowing the system to generate much more reliable states. On the Google Willow processor, this method reduced errors by about 40 times compared to uncultivated states.

Engineering Challenges and Breakthroughs

The research also required Google to overcome issues with how quantum errors are measured. The team found that electrical fluctuations and temperature changes distorted their testing methods, at first producing results seemingly inconsistent with established physics. The researchers then modified hardware controls and developed a new method to measure the accuracy of their technique.

Another achievement was transferring improved quantum states between two different error correction systems—color codes and surface codes. These systems are alternative methods for protecting quantum information against errors. Proving that these states can survive the transfer demonstrates that the cultivation technique could eventually be integrated into larger quantum computing systems.

For Alphabet investors, these findings signal progress in overcoming both the technical and economic barriers to commercial quantum computing. More efficient error correction could ultimately reduce the number of physical qubits required for useful computation, potentially lowering the cost and complexity of building commercially viable machines. Quantum computers could eventually be applied to materials science, chemistry, and other fields where calculations are dauntingly difficult for classical computers.

However, these results do not mean that Google has developed a commercially practical quantum computer. The company acknowledges that the technique still needs to be validated at larger scales, and significant engineering challenges remain. The 40-fold improvement specifically pertains to magic state preparation, not to the overall performance or error rate of the processor as a whole.

This research reinforces Google’s position in the race to develop fault-tolerant quantum computing. Fault-tolerant quantum computing refers to machines that can perform long and complex computations despite the presence of errors in underlying hardware.

Although this achievement could eventually improve the economics of quantum computing, Google has not yet provided a commercialization timeline or quantified any potential revenue impact. For investors, its direct significance lies in technological progress, rather than in Alphabet’s short-term profitability.