DTN 078: Breakthrough in Quantum Error Correction

Google says it’s made a quantum computing breakthrough that reduces errors

“Google researchers claim to have made a breakthrough in quantum error correction, one that could pave the way for quantum computers that finally live up to the technology’s promise. Proponents of quantum computers say the machines will be able to benefit scientific discovery in fields ranging from particle physics to drug and materials design—if only their builders can make the hardware behave as intended. One major challenge has been that quantum computers can store or manipulate information incorrectly, preventing them from executing algorithms that are long enough to be useful. The new research from Google Quantum AI and its academic collaborators demonstrates that they can actually add components to reduce these errors. Previously, because of limitations in engineering, adding more components to the quantum computer tended to introduce more errors. Ultimately, the work bolsters the idea that error correction is a viable strategy toward building a useful quantum computer. Some critics had doubted that it was an effective approach, according to physicist Kenneth Brown of Duke University, who was not involved in the research.” (MIT Technology Review)