Quantum Breakthrough: Google Computer Achieves Verifiable Advantage

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Why this moment is historic

Quantum computing has already been heralded as the next technological revolution—but now we're seeing a concrete leap forward. Google, through its Google Quantum AI unit, has just demonstrated a breakthrough that could mark the beginning of the transition from theory to application.

In October 2025, the company reported that its Willow chip ran the Quantum Echoes algorithm 13,000 times faster than an equivalent classical supercomputer. Furthermore, it had been reported that the previous year (2024) had reached a crucial milestone: through error correction, the chip saw improved fidelity as the number of qubits increased, a milestone considered a "below-threshold" in terms of quantum error.

In summary:

• Ultra high speed and performance (thousands of times faster) are part of it.

• But most importantly: the result is verifiable , that is, it is not just an inaccessible benchmark, but a calculation whose result can be repeated or checked.

  
  

  This paves the way for a shift in the conversation from “when will we have quantum computing” to “how will we use it” and “what will change for business.”

  
  

What exactly has been achieved

To better understand, let's look at the technical details (in accessible terms) of what happened.

Willow Chip & Hardware

Willow is an experimental-grade chip developed by Google with superconducting qubits and optimized circuitry. The company's blog explains that it has extremely high quantum gate and readout fidelity, allowing it to run even relatively unconventional workloads. It represents a hardware breakthrough—not only increasing the number of qubits, but also reducing errors and operating with high fidelity at scale.

Quantum Echoes Algorithm

The algorithm consists of an out-of-time-order correlation (OTOC) task in which the quantum dynamics of a system is perturbed and "heard" through a reverse echo. In other words, a sequence of quantum operations is applied, a perturbation is introduced, the sequence is reversed, and the effect of the resulting quantum "echo" is then measured.

The result: this task would take years on a classical supercomputer and hours on the Willow chip. Furthermore, the result can be verified (i.e., repeated and verified)—which until now had been one of the obstacles to demonstrating "quantum advantage."

Verifiable quantum advantage

The term is important: it's not enough for a quantum computer to be "faster"—it needs to deliver results that can be reliably verified to be relevant for applications. Google claims to have taken this step.

Bug fixes and fidelity

In the 2024 Nature article, it was highlighted that Google was able to demonstrate that, with the scaling of qubits, the total error reduced — something considered essential to achieving a reliable “logical qubit” quantum computer. This advancement allows for greater confidence in system measurements, and prevents noise or decoherence from becoming the bottleneck.

Why this matters for business and for LinkedIn

You might be wondering, "Okay, cool. But so what? What changes for my company or the corporate world?" Here are three major implications.

1. Accelerated design, development, and discovery

The promise of this type of computing: simulating molecules, materials, and chemical reactions with precision that classical computers cannot—or would take years to achieve. Google emphasizes that tasks such as molecular analysis, Hamiltonian learning, or nuclear magnetic spectrometry (NMR) are plausible. For companies investing in R&D, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, or batteries, this type of technological leap can mean a competitive advantage.

2. Innovation agenda and technological roadmap

For technology, innovation, or strategy leaders, this announcement serves as a sign that "tomorrow" is closer. Maybe not tomorrow, but the five-year horizon for seeing real applications seems more plausible now. Experts say that while we're not yet at "fully applicable quantum computing," the path is solidifying. Therefore, companies should start reflecting: where could quantum computing fit into our roadmap? What skills, partnerships, or investments do we need now to avoid being left behind?

3. Impacts on security, encryption and information technology

When quantum computers reach practical scale, topics such as cryptography, data security, optimization algorithms, AI, and technological investments will be impacted. There are already warnings that "post-quantum cryptography" should be on the radar. For LinkedIn professionals, this means that tomorrow's skills could include "quantum computing," "quantum algorithms," and "post-quantum security."

What's Still Missing—and Why We Shouldn't Claim Victory Too Soon

Despite the great leap, there are some “buts” that are worth remembering to keep reality in line.

• While there is benefit and verification, there is still no massive demonstration of concrete commercial application — we are at “benchmark problems” or “scientific problems” so far.

• Scalability remains the biggest challenge: even with improvements, reaching millions of qubits with sufficient fidelity and full error correction is a complex task.

• What has been implemented now may be advanced, but not necessarily something your company can use tomorrow — it will still require maturation (software, algorithms, ecosystem, hardware).

• Cost, expertise, integration with existing infrastructure and training of specialized staff are still real barriers.

  
  

Realistically, the announcement confirms that the road is clear and that quantum computing is moving from "dark laboratory" to "innovative technology." But "routine enterprise use" will still be a matter of years away.

How you, as a professional or company, can prepare now

Given this reality, here are five suggestions for practical actions to get you in line — and possibly get ahead.

1. Map possible use cases

   
   

   Review your R&D, materials, energy, pharmaceutical, logistics optimization, or financial risk projects and ask: “If we had 10-100x more simulation power, what would we do differently?” List 2-3 scenarios where quantum computing (or hybrid classical-quantum futures) could offer a leap forward.

   
   

2. Learn the basics and build internal competence

   
   

   While you don't need to become an expert immediately, understanding concepts like qubits, superposition, entanglement, error correction, and quantum algorithms helps you understand the technology. Courses, webinars, and partnerships with academics or technology providers are valuable.

   
   

3. Evaluate partnerships and ecosystem

   
   

   Companies like Google, IBM, quantum startups, and research centers are active. Researching the players in Brazil or Latin America, or considering an alliance with a university, can be advantageous.

   
   

4. Monitor regulations and technological security

   
   

   The era of quantum computing also implies a shift in the security paradigm—for example, when encryption breaches pose a real risk. It's prudent to monitor regulatory impacts, privacy, and compliance.

   
   

5. Plan for future integration

   
   

   Keep in mind that adoption won't be "plug-and-play" just yet. Consider how your IT systems, data, and business algorithms could prepare for a hybrid world (part classical, part quantum). This could mean modularization, APIs, data refinement, and simulation prototypes.

   
   

In short

Google's announcement that its Willow chip, powered by the Quantum Echoes algorithm, has achieved a verifiable quantum advantage vastly superior to classical computing (13,000×) is a milestone. It indicates that quantum computing is transitioning from "possible" to "probable"—or at least that the timeframe for adoption appears to be shortening.

For business, technology, and innovation, this represents a window of opportunity: the next 2-5 years could be decisive for building competitive advantage in industries that will rely on high-level simulation, advanced materials, or quantum algorithms.

But we must also remain sober: it's not yet time to replace all systems with quantum machines. It's time to prepare, align skills, identify use cases, and participate in the ecosystem.