Willow Quantum Computer, Amazing Milestones

This video explains why this week’s announcement of Google’s Willow Quantum Computer is significant, starting with the fact that Willow was able to solve an exceedingly complex problem in under 5 minutes that the world’s fastest traditional supercomputer could not to solve at all – even if given all the time that the universe existed until today. (It would need more time.)

To ground the discussion, the video first describes what Quantum Computing is and how it’s related to quantum mechanics, which is the fundamental theory that describes the behavior of the smallest particles known to man. It also includes fascinating details about Quantum computing, and covers the key differences between Quantum computers and traditional computers that use bits with a state of 0 or 1.

Along the way, the video describes key concepts and milestones that are important for understanding the significance of this week’s announcement, including helpful layman’s descriptions of “random circuit sampling” and of the “critical quantum error correction threshold.”