The Quantum AI Lab was announced by Google Research in a blog post on May 16, 2013.[1][3][4] At the time of launch, the Lab was using the most advanced commercially available quantum computer, D-Wave Two fromD-Wave Systems.[1][3]
On October 10, 2013, Google released a short film describing the current state of the Quantum AI Lab.[5][6]
In January 2014, Google reported results comparing the performance of theD-Wave Two in the lab with that of classical computers. The results were ambiguous and provoked heated discussion on the Internet.[10][11][12] On 2 September 2014, it was announced that the Google Quantum AI Lab, in partnership withUC Santa Barbara, would be launching an initiative to create quantum information processors based on superconducting electronics.[13]
On the 23rd of October 2019, the Quantum AI Lab announced in a paper that it had achievedquantum supremacy with theirSycamore processor.[14] The claim of quantum supremacy achievement has since been debated, with a far more accurate simulation on a classical computer being possible in 2.5 days as a conservative estimate.[15]
On December 9, 2024, Google introduced theWillow processor, describing it as a "state-of-the-art quantum chip".Google claims that this new chip takes just five minutes to solve a problem that takes traditional supercomputers ten septillion years.[16]
However, experts say Willow is, for now, a largely experimental device.[17]
