Google says the Willow chip has it confidently on a path to the kind of quantum computing that could tackle seemingly insurmountable real-world problems
AFP

Google unveiled its cutting-edge quantum chip, Willow, leaving the tech world in awe. Words of praise started rolling in from industry leaders.

Meanwhile, Google's newest invention has gained an unexpected connoisseur, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who for quite some time was engaged in an ongoing tension with Google's CEO Sundar Pichai.

Elon Musk recently slammed Google, claiming its search results were biased in favor of Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. Musk alleged that Google's results were similar to those of ChatGPT, implying that both platforms were skewed towards Harris.

Google quickly responded to Musk's criticism, stating that they would address the issue.

But Musk set aside his hard feelings and came out in full-blown support for "Willow" which promises to exponentially reduce errors in quantum computing and increase computational speed. Musk, who earlier maintained silence over quantum computing, appeared to be ga-ga over Google Quantum AI's new "Willow" chip.

"Introducing Willow, our new state-of-the-art quantum computing chip with a breakthrough that can reduce errors exponentially as we scale up using more qubits, cracking a 30-year challenge in the field," Pichai wrote on X.

"Wow" Musk wrote on X before diving into a deeper conversation with Pichai. Pichai proposed an innovative idea, suggesting that a "quantum cluster" could be placed in space aboard SpaceX's Starship. Musk replied: "That will probably happen."

Willow has made significant progress in quantum error correction by proving that errors decrease exponentially with the number of qubits added. This significant achievement opens the door for the creation of bigger, more dependable quantum processors by resolving a long-standing issue in the quantum world.

Musk, who is renowned for his audacious forays into space exploration, electric vehicles, and brain-machine interfaces, seldom discusses quantum computing. Musk's views on this topic are significant since it is as complex and specialized as any other cutting-edge issue he has investigated.