The company specified that the 13,000x performance advantage refers to the OTOC algorithm running on Willow compared to “the best classical algorithm on one of the world’s fastest supercomputers,” though it did not identify which specific supercomputer served as the benchmark.
The announcement positions Google ahead in the intensifying quantum race. IBM is targeting a 200-logical-qubit system called Starling by 2029, while Microsoft, in February 2025, introduced its Majorana 1 chip based on topological qubits, claiming a path to one million qubits on a single chip. Similarly, IonQ, using trapped ion technology, had demonstrated a 12% speed advantage over classical supercomputers in medical device simulation in March 2025.
How the algorithm works and its applications
The Quantum Echoes algorithm sends precisely crafted signals through Willow’s quantum system, perturbing a single qubit, then reversing the signal’s evolution. “We send a carefully crafted signal into our quantum system (qubits on Willow chip), perturb one qubit, then precisely reverse the signal’s evolution to listen for the ‘echo’ that comes back,” Google explained.
“This quantum echo is special because it gets amplified by constructive interference — a phenomenon where quantum waves add up to become stronger. This makes our measurement incredibly sensitive,” the statement added.
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