<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="dailydev" canonical="https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0" -->

---
title: Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has...
description: Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm, run on the 105-qubit Willow chip, produced a single verifiable number rather than the unverifiable statistical distribution...
canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:site: @dailydotdev
og:type: website
og:site_name: daily.dev
og:title: Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has - no joke | daily.dev
og:description: Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm, run on the 105-qubit Willow chip, produced a single verifiable number rather than the unverifiable statistical distribution...
og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0
og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/kjVNGiaR0.png
og:image:alt: Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has - no joke
og:image:width: 1200
og:image:height: 630
og:locale: en
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has - no joke

**[YouTube](https://daily.dev/sources/youtube)** · 23 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm, run on the 105-qubit Willow chip, produced a single verifiable number rather than the unverifiable statistical distribution that made 2019's Sycamore quantum supremacy claim controversial. The result reportedly ran roughly 13,000 times faster than the Frontier supercomputer using a tensor-network comparison, and was also applied to real molecules (toluene and 3,5-dimethylbiphenyl) alongside NMR spectroscopy, surfacing structural details standard NMR can't reach. Independent physicists tested classical belief-propagation tensor-network methods against the claim and found they could not reproduce it at the scale Google ran, though critics like Dries Sels and James Whitfield note the claim is bounded to specific classical methods and remains far from practical application. The piece also covers a sponsored book promotion partway through.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6m4PydljqE>

## Questions this post answers

### What is the quantum echoes algorithm Google ran on the Willow chip?

Quantum echoes is an algorithm that measures an out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) by nudging a single qubit in a scrambled quantum system and running the process backward to detect a faint echo. Unlike Sycamore's 2019 random circuit sampling, which produced an unverifiable statistical distribution, quantum echoes yields a single measurable number that other quantum machines can independently check.

_Developers tracking quantum computing milestones can follow verifiable benchmark claims like this one on daily.dev._

### How much faster was Google's Willow chip than a classical supercomputer on the quantum echoes benchmark?

Willow was roughly 13,000 times faster than Frontier, one of the most powerful classical supercomputers, completing in a couple of hours what would have taken about 150 years of Frontier's processing time. The comparison was measured against a tensor network simulation method, not every possible classical algorithm, and physicists later confirmed a refined tensor network approach using belief propagation still could not feasibly reproduce the result at that scale.

_Anyone weighing quantum versus classical computing claims can track these benchmark comparisons on daily.dev._

### Can quantum computers currently determine molecular structures better than NMR spectroscopy?

Google and UC Berkeley researchers ran the quantum echoes algorithm on two real molecules, toluene (15 atoms) and 3,5-dimethylbiphenyl (28 atoms), mapping 15 nuclear spins onto qubits. Results matched conventional NMR findings and also revealed structural distances and atomic relationships that standard NMR methods typically cannot detect, though the molecules tested remain far smaller than real pharmaceutical compounds.

_Researchers evaluating emerging quantum tools for chemistry and drug discovery can follow developments like this on daily.dev._

---

Tags: [#google](https://daily.dev/tags/google), [#quantum-computing](https://daily.dev/tags/quantum-computing), [#algorithms](https://daily.dev/tags/algorithms)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has - no joke","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T00:49:08.156Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T21:23:08.584Z","description":"Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm, run on the 105-qubit Willow chip, produced a single verifiable number rather than the unverifiable statistical distribution...","image":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G6m4PydljqE/sddefault.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G6m4PydljqE/sddefault.jpg","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"YouTube","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"YouTube","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--W5zMumpP--/f_auto/v1725350181/logos/youtube","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/youtube"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"google,quantum-computing,algorithms","timeRequired":"PT23M","video":{"@type":"VideoObject","name":"Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has - no joke","description":"Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm, run on the 105-qubit Willow chip, produced a single verifiable number rather than the unverifiable statistical distribution...","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G6m4PydljqE/sddefault.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-08-18T00:49:08.156Z","duration":"PT23M","url":"https://api.daily.dev/r/kjVNGiaR0","embedUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/G6m4PydljqE"}}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"YouTube","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/youtube"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Google's Quantum Computer Just Crossed a Line Nobody Has - no joke"}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-quantum-computer-just-crossed-a-line-nobody-has---no-joke-kjvngiar0#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the quantum echoes algorithm Google ran on the Willow chip?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Quantum echoes is an algorithm that measures an out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) by nudging a single qubit in a scrambled quantum system and running the process backward to detect a faint echo. Unlike Sycamore's 2019 random circuit sampling, which produced an unverifiable statistical distribution, quantum echoes yields a single measurable number that other quantum machines can independently check. Developers tracking quantum computing milestones can follow verifiable benchmark claims like this one on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much faster was Google's Willow chip than a classical supercomputer on the quantum echoes benchmark?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Willow was roughly 13,000 times faster than Frontier, one of the most powerful classical supercomputers, completing in a couple of hours what would have taken about 150 years of Frontier's processing time. The comparison was measured against a tensor network simulation method, not every possible classical algorithm, and physicists later confirmed a refined tensor network approach using belief propagation still could not feasibly reproduce the result at that scale. Anyone weighing quantum versus classical computing claims can track these benchmark comparisons on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can quantum computers currently determine molecular structures better than NMR spectroscopy?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Google and UC Berkeley researchers ran the quantum echoes algorithm on two real molecules, toluene (15 atoms) and 3,5-dimethylbiphenyl (28 atoms), mapping 15 nuclear spins onto qubits. Results matched conventional NMR findings and also revealed structural distances and atomic relationships that standard NMR methods typically cannot detect, though the molecules tested remain far smaller than real pharmaceutical compounds. Researchers evaluating emerging quantum tools for chemistry and drug discovery can follow developments like this on daily.dev."}}]}
```

