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The Rise of Quantum Computing: From Sycamore to Willow and Beyond
In 2019, Google made headlines when its quantum computer, Sycamore, claimed to complete a task in just 200 seconds—an operation that would take the world's most powerful conventional supercomputer an estimated 10,000 years. This bold declaration marked the dawn of quantum supremacy, setting the stage for further advancements in quantum technology. Fast forward to today, and Google has introduced Willow, a groundbreaking quantum chip that appears to take the leap from 10,000 years to an astronomical 10^25 years for tasks resolvable in under five minutes. Such advancements propel us into a new paradigm of computational capability that challenges our understanding of reality itself.