This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On October 24, 2019, Google announced a major breakthrough in quantum computing, achieving a milestone that has been decades in the making.
The company's research team, led by Google AI's Frank Arute, developed a microprocessor called Sycamore that packs a total of 54 qubits. This quantum computer was able to solve a complex problem in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds, a feat that would take the world's fastest supercomputer, the Summit, over 10,000 years to accomplish.
According to Google, the Sycamore processor is a significant step forward in the development of quantum computing, which has the potential to revolutionize the way we process information. The company's CEO, Sundar Pichai, compared the achievement to building the first rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere and touch the edge of space, an advance that brought interplanetary travel into the realm of the possible.
However, not everyone is convinced of the significance of Google's achievement. Researchers at IBM, Google's main quantum computing rival, have questioned the company's claims, saying that a supercomputer with additional disk storage can solve the same problem in at most 2-1/2 days, with greater fidelity.
"Quantum computers will never reign 'supreme' over classical computers, but will rather work in concert with them, since each have their unique strengths," Dario Gil, director of research at IBM, wrote in a blog.
