Alphabet shares rise 6% after Google launches new quantum chip ‘Willow’ – CNBC TV18

The shares of Google parent Alphabet rose nearly 6% on December 10 after the tech giant unveiled its latest quantum computing chip ‘Willow’ and called it a “breakthrough.”

The tech stock closed at $186.53, hitting that level for the first time since July 15 this year. During the day, the stock rallied to an intraday high of $188.03. In the past year, the stock has given a return of more than 38%, outperforming the tech index Nasdaq 100 which rose 33% during the period.

The uptrend in the Aphabet shares comes Google claims Willow brings two breakthroughs: better error correction as it scales up and increased computational speed.

“Willow is a big step toward running algorithms that can’t be replicated on conventional computers,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google. “Willow brings us closer to a new era of technological advancement and societal benefit.”
Willow’s ability to reduce errors as more qubits are added represents a critical milestone in quantum computing. By experimenting with 3×3 to 7×7 qubit grids, Google showed that Willow can halve error rates each time, a result known as “below threshold.” This improvement is essential for practical quantum computing, allowing systems to maintain data accuracy as they scale up.

On the Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) benchmark, Willow performed a computation in under five minutes that would take a supercomputer 10 septillion years.

According to the company, Willow was built in Google’s advanced fabrication facility in Santa Barbara, California, with high-quality components and precise engineering. With 105 qubits, Willow is said to excel across key benchmarks, including error correction and computational efficiency.

When quantum computing matures, it is expected to be useful for large-scale simulations and code breaking, but that may not be possible for years or decades. Google isn’t the only tech giant working on quantum computing. Nvidia, Microsoft and IBM are also working on the technology, in addition to researchers at startups and universities.

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Google’s announcement got a thumbs up on social media by several technology business figures, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. “We should do a quantum cluster in space with Starship one day,” Pichai replied to Musk.