Google shares surge following breakthrough with new quantum chip

Shares of Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) saw a 4% jump in pre-market trading on Tuesday, driven by investor enthusiasm after the company unveiled its groundbreaking quantum computing chip, Willow. Google CEO Sundar Pichai introduced the new chip on Monday, highlighting its impressive ability to minimize computational errors and its strong performance in benchmark tests.

Pichai noted that Willow is a key step in Google’s mission to develop a quantum computer with practical applications, such as drug discovery, fusion energy, and battery design. “We see Willow as a crucial milestone in building a functional quantum computer that can address real-world problems,” he stated.

The Willow chip has already achieved two major breakthroughs. First, it dramatically reduces computational errors as more qubits are added—tackling a quantum error correction challenge that has persisted for nearly 30 years. Second, Willow completed a standard benchmark computation in less than five minutes, a task that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers over 10 septillion years.

This achievement is part of Google’s decade-long commitment to quantum computing, a vision that began in 2012 when Sundar Pichai launched Google Quantum AI (NASDAQ:QMCO). The company's goal is to harness quantum mechanics to accelerate scientific progress and solve complex societal challenges.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), took to social media to express his amazement, simply posting “wow” in response to the announcement.

With the Willow chip, Google Quantum AI has taken a significant step forward, moving closer to making commercially viable quantum computing a reality.