Google moves towards quantum supremacy with 72-qubit computer
Researchers from Google are testing a 72-qubit computer - a big step up from the company's previous 9-qubit chip. The researchers hopes to use the larger quantum chip to demonstrate quantum supremacy for the first time, performing a calculation that is impossible with traditional computers. Achieving quantum supremacy requires a computer of more than 50 qubits, but scientists are still struggling to control so many quantum entities at once. Unlike traditional bits that have either a 0 or a one, a qubit can be 0, 1, or any combination of the two thanks to a quirk known as superposition.
The chip is nicknamed Bristlecone because its qubits are arranged in a pattern similar to a pinecone. According to physicist John Martinis from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the quantum supremacy demonstration could come within a few months if everything works well.