Google's 105‑Qubit Willow Claims 13,000× Advantage

Google's Quantum AI team reported that its "Quantum Echoes" algorithm running on the 105‑qubit Willow chip achieved a verifiable quantum advantage, completing a task about 13,000 times faster than the best classical algorithm. The paper, published in Nature, says the method is reproducible on other quantum platforms and could be applied to imaging molecular structure, generating verifiable data for AI, and accelerating drug discovery and materials design. Researchers demonstrated and cross‑checked the approach on small molecules using NMR and hailed the result as a milestone, a point also noted by Nobel laureate Michel Devoret. Independent experts urge caution, saying the claim requires a high burden of proof, improved classical algorithms might narrow the gap, and broadly useful, fault‑tolerant quantum computers remain years away. Observers additionally warned of longer‑term cryptographic implications if large error‑corrected quantum machines are built, while emphasizing current devices cannot break modern encryption.