Hartmut Neven, founder of Google Quantum AI, shared a… stunning theory. Willow's extraordinary abilities lead onto the parallel universe trail. The chip carried out, in less than 5 minutes, a calculation that would take 10^25 years, or 10 septillion years, on the most powerful current supercomputers.
What if parallel universes really existed?
This is a duration that exceeds the known age of the universe. According to Hartmut Neven, quantum calculation would be carried out at the same time in several parallel universes. So according to him, the Willow chip confirms David Deutsch's theory of the multiverse.
However, this statement provokes divided reactions in the scientific community. Some experts think the theory is plausible but others, more skeptical, point out that performance is measured by a benchmark created by Google itself. The dice are loaded and this is not enough to prove the existence of parallel universes.
Beyond this theory, Willow represents a big step forward in reducing calculation errors, one of the challenges of quantum information. While classical computers use binary bits (0 or 1), quantum computers rely on qubits that are in multiple states at the same time and exploit quantum entanglement. This is a phenomenon where particles remain connected regardless of their distance.
Technology makes it possible to solve complex problems that are inaccessible to conventional computers. However, increasing the number of qubits increases the probability of errors, which raises questions about the long-term reliability of quantum computers. Google says Willow has a solution to this problem: let's wait to discover its real potential.
As a reminder, quantum opens the way to other innovations. Some scientists even explain that technology could make it possible to teleport wherever you want, a sweet dream worthy of science fiction.
