Google publishes its progress in purifying "necessary states" for quantum computing

Google published a study in the journal 'Science' demonstrating the purification of 'magic states' for quantum computing. An experiment on the 'Willow' processor reduced errors by about 40 times with 99.99% accuracy, but only 8% of attempts retained purity. The article describes it as a step toward a useful quantum computer, not evidence of a complete device.

Google announced the publication of a study in the journal 'Science' presenting the purification of a resource needed for error-resistant quantum computers. Company researchers said an experiment on the 'Willow' processor reduced errors in so-called 'magic states' by about 40 times, compared to states that did not undergo purification, with logical accuracy reaching about 99.99% for the produced states. The result depends on preparing quantum states used to perform specific calculations, not on the success rate of a complete quantum computer. Google explains that producing these states consumes resources and they are not reused after consumption, so reducing the cost of preparing them is a step toward building practical devices. The 'Quantum Computing Report' website explained that the experiment moves the 'magic state distillation' method from theoretical conception to a test on actual hardware. The original paper shows that achieving the stated purity was associated with retaining only about 8% of attempts, as measurement steps discard attempts where errors are detected. The article warns against treating the accuracy rate separately from the amount of discarded work.