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What is quantum computing?
Educational resources
Quantum Computer
Roadmap
Lab
Open Source Tools
Cirq Documentation
Google Quantum AI
the elements
Quantum computers
can perform tasks no
classical computer can
Classical computers have enabled some of humanity's greatest achievements. But even as classical computers continue to improve, there are certain problems we do not expect them to ever be able to solve. Because quantum computers use quantum physics to access new computational abilities that are inaccessible to classical computers, we expect that they will be able to solve some problems exponentially faster than classical computers can.
Superposition is a quantum 'superpower'
In classical computing, information is stored in bits, which can take the value of either 0 or 1. Quantum computers use quantum bits (qubits) instead of bits. Those qubits take on richer states and extend beyond just 0 or 1 - they can be in a superposition, or a complex combination, of both 0 and 1.
With superpositionSuperposition is a property where a qubit takes the value of a complex combination of both 0 and 1.
, we can explore an exponentially large space of possible solutions to a problem.
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Play the Qubit Game
Current quantum processors are noisy
Today's quantum processors are powerful enough to accomplish some contrived tasks more efficiently than the fastest classical supercomputers. But they still need to be improved to achieve their full potential. We call the current state of quantum computing the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ)While still at an early stage, NISQ era quantum computing holds the potential to explore some useful applications before fully error-corrected quantum computers arrive.
era.
Because noise plays a large role in the performance of NISQ devices, it's challenging to compare them to classical computers, which essentially work without error. We've developed a framework based on a circuit’s "effective quantum volume" to evaluate the computational cost of quantum circuits that can be run on today's noisy devices.
A full-scale quantum computer requires error correction
Qubits are highly sensitive to their external environments, and even stray particles of light can introduce errors. For meaningful computation, these errors must be corrected, and error correction must be improved as quantum processors are scaled to larger numbers of qubits. We view the achievement of scalable error correction as a necessary step towards a truly useful quantum computer.
Our focused approach to quantum computing
Our comprehensive development approach and commitment to error correction are key to realizing a useful quantum computer. By focusing on our roadmap to drive the development of a large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer, we aim to grow our ability to address problems beyond the capabilities of the largest classical supercomputers.
Learn about our quantum systems
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