Google develops breakthrough quantum computing algorithm

Alphabet Inc firm Google on Wednesday said it has developed a groundbreaking algorithm for quantum computers that could enable the tech giant to tackle real-world problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers within a few years.

Applications could include novel approaches in drug discovery and the development of lighter, more powerful batteries for electric vehicles, said German computer scientist Hartmut Neven, founder and head of Google's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

An algorithm consists of clearly defined instructions that are systematically processed to achieve a desired result.

The algorithm, called Quantum Echoes, was initially run on Google's specialised Willow chip, achieving speeds up to 13,000 times faster than the best classical algorithms on the world's fastest supercomputers, Neven and his team reported in the journal Nature.

Quantum Echoes is not limited to Google's Willow chip and, according to the researchers, can be run on other quantum computers to verify results. The algorithm can also refine nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, a technique used to determine how atoms are arranged in a substance.

Improved NMR could, for example, help pharmaceutical research by clarifying how potential drugs bind to target structures, Neven said. It could also aid materials science, allowing researchers to map the molecular structure of polymers, catalysts and battery components.

Neven said quantum computing is expected to advance artificial intelligence. He noted that AI is already used to speed up design and improve the software for Google's quantum computers, and added that quantum systems could generate unique, high-value data for AI training because the world operates on quantum principles.

Michel Devoret, Google Quantum AI's chief scientist for quantum hardware and a recent Nobel Prize winner in physics, said the Quantum Echoes algorithm represents another milestone, in part because its calculations are verifiable.

He added that if another quantum computer performed the same calculation, it would produce the same result, marking a new step towards fully reliable quantum computing.