"I know, I know - this sounds like somebody took a long walk off a short pier. But next year, as quantum chips get bigger and faster, there just might be more "spooky" events happening. Will quantum computing change our world? Probably. Will it change how we view physics? It just might. We need to hold on tight and keep an open mind."
Last year, Google introduced a 105-qubit superconducting quantum computing processor named Willow. Why bring this up a year after testing? Because something happened in testing which falls in line with what Einstein said of about quantum entanglement being "spooky science at a distance". What does that mean? Quantum computing is very new and very unexplored. It means that exploring quantum computing might be like reading the Book of Secrets, opening Pandora's Box, and falling down Alice's rabbit hole, all at the same time.
When the testing commenced in 2024, things were going along just fine. The speed of this new Willow Chip is about (paraphrase) a zillion times faster than a regular computer. As Willow was working on a problem in the lab, all of a sudden, the test stopped. Equipment problems? No - even though the processor needs to be cooled down to almost absolute zero for Willow to operate correctly. Something appeared on the display which was a jaw dropper. Designs which were not supposed to be there. Intelligently created designs, even though nobody on the team created them.
The scientists knew what kind of output which was expected. What showed up was none of them. How strange was this? It would be like going into an echo chamber and yelling "Hello!" and getting a response of "Hi" back. How could that happen? In our world - it couldn't.
It gets stranger. Willow will only work when it is just a smidge warmer than absolute zero. When this unexpected design appeared on the display, the chip warmed up all by itself. Not much, but just enough for it to be weird. Plus, Willow got just a bit brighter. Not supposed to, but it did. Things got so strange in the lab, that three senior scientists, left the testing, never to return.
We are on the cusp of finding out some of our physics which we have held to be infallible, might just need a tune-up. I have read that some of our more reputable scientists think this event might be proof of the "string theory". That we have parallel universes. And the speed of processors like Willow might be a key to unlock the door into another universe. Bottom line? That strange output might have been created by somebody in another universe.
I know, I know - this sounds like somebody took a long walk off a short pier. But next year, as quantum chips get bigger and faster, there just might be more "spooky" events happening. Will quantum computing change our world? Probably. Will it change how we view physics? It just might. We need to hold on tight and keep an open mind, no matter how strange things might get.
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