LAX Leader

Recent developments in quantum computing have captured attention with Google's introduction of its quantum chip, Willow. The chip reportedly solved a mathematical problem in under five minutes—a task that would take a traditional supercomputer an estimated 10 septillion years to complete.

Experts believe quantum computing could transform industries by addressing problems unsolvable by conventional computers. USC scientists are available for commentary on the future of this technology.

Daniel Lidar, a professor at USC Viterbi School of Engineering, focuses on "quantum algorithmic speedup," which is when a quantum computer surpasses even the most powerful non-quantum computers as problems become more complex. He highlights error correction as crucial for effective quantum computing: "Errors occur when a quantum system interacts with its external environment and loses its delicate quantum characteristics. It’s the biggest challenge quantum computing faces."

Lidar notes Google's progress: "Google’s new experimental results using their quantum computer chip, Willow, is a significant advance. They have demonstrated that quantum error correction works as theoreticians have predicted: as they made their error-corrected ‘logical qubit’ larger, the results improved."

Federico Spedalieri from USC Viterbi emphasizes managing errors and noise to advance the field: "The quantum computers we have today are still hampered by their extreme sensitivity to errors and the unavoidable noise present in any physical system." He acknowledges Google's achievements: "Google’s Willow processor has shown that we can indeed engineer the building blocks that would allow us to tame this noise."

Eli Levenson-Falk explains how quantum algorithms differ from traditional ones due to unique properties of qubits: "Quantum algorithms utilize quantum bits (qubits), which are the fundamental units of information in quantum computing."

Rosa Di Felice sees potential applications in computational biology despite current limitations due to errors: "As of now, the technology of quantum computing has too many errors to have everyday practical applications in the field of computational biology." She suggests potential benefits for understanding energy properties in biomolecules and cells through error-corrected algorithms.

Quntao Zhuang discusses dark matter research supported by advanced processors: "Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in the known universe... My research is focused on axion dark matter."