Google claims its latest quantum algorithm can outperform supercomputers on a real-world task
OTOC as interferometers. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09526-6
Google Quantum AI researchers report that their quantum processor, Willow, ran an algorithm for a quantum computer that solved a complex physics problem thousands of times faster than the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers. If verified, it would be one of the first demonstrations of a practical quantum advantage, in which a quantum computer would solve a real-world problem faster and more precisely than a classical computer.
In a new article published in the journal NatureThe researchers provided details of how their algorithm, called Quantum Echoes, measured the complex behavior of particles in highly entangled quantum systems. These are systems in which several particles are linked so that they share the same fate even when physically separated. If you measure the property of one particle, you instantly know something about the others. This connection makes the overall system so complex that it is difficult to model on ordinary computers.
The Quantum Echoes algorithm uses a concept called OTOC (Out-of-Time-Order Correlator), which measures how quickly information spreads and scrambles in a quantum system. The researchers chose this specific measurement because, as they explain in the article, “OTOCs have quantum interference effects that give them high sensitivity to the details of quantum dynamics and, for OTOCs(2)also high levels of classical simulation complexity. As such, OTOCs are viable candidates for realizing practical quantum advantage. »
The algorithm relies on a clever “time reversal trick”. The quantum computer moves the system forward, gives it a little nudge, and then precisely reverses the process. In this experiment they used the second order OTOC – OTOC(2)a more complex form of OTOC. This creates a powerful “quantum echo” that extracts useful information from the chaos of the system. For this task, which involved studying the speed of information propagation in a complex quantum state, the quantum chip performed the calculation 13,000 times faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer.
This is not the first time that the Google team has demonstrated major quantum feat. In 2019, they claimed “quantum supremacy” after their Sycamore chip solved a highly technical problem much faster than a supercomputer. However, what makes things different is that while the previous experiment focused on solving an obscure problem (which was ultimately solved by classical algorithms running on supercomputers), this new result solves a real physics problem.
Ultimately, this research means we could get closer to the day when quantum computers are routinely used to solve complex problems that are currently beyond the reach of supercomputers. This could include discovering new materials, designing better drugs and creating more accurate climate models.
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More information:
Observation of constructive interferences at the limit of quantum ergodicity, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09526-6
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Quote: Google says its latest quantum algorithm can outperform supercomputers on a real-world task (October 24, 2025) retrieved October 24, 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-10-google-latest-quantum-algorithm-outperform.html
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