- Google’s quantum algorithm, dubbed “Quantum Echoes,” was published in the Nature journal on Wednesday.
- CEO Sundar Pichai said it was 13,000 times faster than the best classical algorithm on one of the world’s fastest supercomputers.
- A Wall Street Journal report, citing sources, stated late Wednesday that SMID-cap quantum computing companies were in discussions for potential investments by the Trump administration.
Alphabet, Inc.’s (GOOGL) (GOOG) new breakthrough in the quantum computing field drew the attention of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who himself is credited with several innovations spanning across electric vehicles, space research, satellite broadband, and neural implants.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday shared on his X account the breakthrough quantum algorithm, dubbed “Quantum Echoes,” which Google has developed. It was published in the “Nature” journal on Wednesday.
Commenting on Pichai’s post, Musk said, “Congrats. Looks like quantum computing is becoming relevant.” The Alphabet CEO concurred with the view.
Google’s Ultra-fast Algorithm
Pichai noted that Quantum Echoes was 13,000 times faster than the best classical algorithm on one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. Google’s in-house quantum chip, Willow, unveiled in December, ran the algorithm.
“This new algorithm can explain interactions between atoms in a molecule using nuclear magnetic resonance, paving a path towards potential future uses in drug discovery and materials science,” the technology executive said.
“This breakthrough is a significant step toward the first real-world application of quantum computing.”
Quantum Still Obscure Tech
Despite the involvement of some high-profile tech names such as Alphabet, IBM, and Microsoft and the mushrooming of quantum computing startups, many industry experts, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, see the benefits rolling out only in the distant future. Skeptics argue that building a scalable quantum computer is physically impossible due to engineering challenges, the need for massive investment, and its limited applications.
Quantum computing received a shot in the arm recently from JPMorgan, as the firm named it as one of the 27 strategic industries it would be investing $10 billion in.
As recently as Wednesday, a Wall Street Journal report, citing sources, stated that several quantum computing companies, such as Rigetti Computing (RGTI), IonQ (IONQ), D-Wave (QBTS), and Quantum Computing (QUBT), were in discussions with the Commerce Department for about $10 million in financing for each in return for a stake in these companies.
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