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Google on Monday said that it has overcome a key challenge in quantum computing with a new generation of chip, solving a computing problem in five minutes that would take a classical computer more time than the history of the universe.

Like other tech giants such as Microsoft and International Business Machines, Alphabet’s Google is chasing quantum computing because it promises computing speeds far faster than today’s fastest systems. While the math problem solved by the company’s Santa Barbara, California quantum lab does not have commercial applications, Google hopes quantum computers will one day solve problems in medicine, battery chemistry and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are out of reach for today’s computers.

The results released Monday came from a new chip called Willow that has 105 “qubits,” which are the building blocks of quantum computers. Qubits are fast but error-prone, because they can be jostled by something as small as a subatomic particle from events in outer space.

As more qubits are packed onto a chip, those errors can add up to make the chip no better than a conventional computer chip. So since the 1990s, scientists have been working on quantum error-correction.

In a paper published in the journal Nature on Monday, Google said that it has found a way to string together the Willow chip’s qubits so that error rates go down as the number of qubits goes up. The company also says it can correct errors in real time, a key step toward making its quantum machines practical.

“We are past the break even point,” Hartmut Neven, who leads the Google Quantum AI unit, said in an interview.

In 2019, IBM challenged Google’s claim that Google’s quantum chip solved a problem that would take a classical computer 10,000 years, saying the problem could be solved in two-and-a-half days using different technical assumptions about a classical system.

In a blog post Monday, Google said it took some of those concerns into account in its newest estimates. Even under the most idealistic conditions, Google said a classical computer would still take a billion years to get the same results as its newest chip.

Some of Google’s rivals are producing chips with a larger number of qubits than Google, but Google is focused on making the most reliable qubits it can, Anthony Megrant, chief architect for Google Quantum AI, said in an interview.

Google fabricated its previous chips in a shared facility at the University of California, Santa Barbara, but built its own dedicated fabrication facility to produce its Willow chips. Megrant said that new facility will speed up how fast Google can make future chips, which are chilled in huge refrigerators called cryostats to run experiments.

“If we have a good idea, we want somebody on the team to be able to … get that into the clean room and into one of these cryostats as fast as possible, so we can get lots of cycles of learning,” Megrant said.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Retains 80 Percent Capacity After 25,000 Cycles

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January 22, 2025

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New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Retains 80 Percent Capacity After 25,000 Cycles

Engineers and materials scientists have achieved a major advancement in battery technology, developing a lithium-sulfur battery that retains 80 percent of its charge capacity after 25,000 charging cycles. The new design, which uses a specially formulated electrode, represents a significant improvement over conventional lithium-ion batteries. The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting energy storage solutions, addressing critical demands in electronics and electric vehicles.

Key Innovations in the Study

According to a study published in Nature, sulfur was utilised as a core component for the battery’s solid electrode. Despite being abundant and cost-effective, sulfur has historically posed challenges due to issues such as ion loss and expansion during reactions with lithium. These problems were tackled by incorporating a glass-like mixture composed of sulfur, boron, lithium, phosphorus, and iodine. The iodine element was found to enhance electron movement during redox reactions, allowing for faster charging and improved performance.

As reported by Techxplore, the research demonstrated that the porous atomic structure of the electrode facilitated ion diffusion, eliminating the need for intermediary movements. This structural stability, combined with the chemical properties of the glass-phase electrolyte, contributed to the battery’s durability across an unprecedented number of cycles.

Performance and Potential Applications

The experimental lithium-sulfur battery maintained its capacity even under high temperatures, a notable advantage in demanding environments. Standard lithium-ion batteries typically degrade after approximately 1,000 cycles, making this new battery’s longevity a striking development. Despite its promise, the study’s authors acknowledged the need for further research to improve energy density and explore alternative materials that could reduce the battery’s overall weight.

Efforts are being directed at refining this technology to support the growing demand for energy storage in applications ranging from consumer electronics to renewable energy systems.

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Break the Standard Model, New Research Shows

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Small Carnivores Were Crucial for Early Levant Diets, Says New Study

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January 22, 2025

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Small Carnivores Were Crucial for Early Levant Diets, Says New Study

The nutritional reliance on small carnivores by early hunter-gatherer societies in the Levant has been highlighted through recent archaeological discoveries. A series of excavations at the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB) site of Aḥihud, located in present-day Israel, has revealed the widespread use of red foxes, wildcats, and other small carnivores for meat and fur. This period, dated between approximately 10,500 and 10,100 years ago, coincided with a transformative phase as communities transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming-based lifestyles.

Findings at the Aḥihud Site

According to the study published in Environmental Archaeology, various archaeological materials, including animal bone fragments, were recovered during salvage excavations in 2012 and 2013. These materials included 1,244 animal remains, with a significant proportion belonging to small carnivores such as red foxes, beech martens, Egyptian mongooses, and European badgers. Dr. Shirad Galmor, the lead researcher, explained to Phys.org that the high quantity of small carnivore bones, coupled with observable cut marks, sparked deeper investigation into their utilisation.

Evidence of Skinning and Consumption

Through taphonomic analysis, it was found that more than 12 percent of red fox remains and 19 percent of wildcat remains exhibited distinct cut marks, compared to lower percentages in larger game like gazelles and cape hares. These marks suggested both skinning for fur and butchering for meat. Burn marks on some of the bones further supported their use as food.

Implications for Neolithic Societies

The findings underscore the previously overlooked significance of small carnivores in the dietary and economic practices of early Neolithic communities. While earlier studies primarily attributed the presence of such remains to fur trade, these results open new avenues for understanding their role as a dietary staple during this period of societal evolution.

Researchers emphasise the need for additional studies to explore the contributions of small carnivores at other archaeological sites across the southern Levant.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Heavy Dark Matter Could Break the Standard Model, New Research Shows



New Study Uncovers Discrepancies in Universe’s Expansion Rate, Challenges Cosmology Models

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Disrupt Universe’s Fundamental Laws

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January 22, 2025

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Disrupt Universe’s Fundamental Laws

The concept of heavy dark matter has raised concerns about its implications for the universe’s fundamental structure. While dark matter has been theorised as a key component explaining several astrophysical phenomena, new research indicates that particles exceeding a certain mass could disrupt the Standard Model of particle physics. The ongoing quest to identify dark matter, which forms the bulk of the universe’s mass yet eludes direct detection, continues to challenge prevailing theories.

Constraints on Dark Matter Mass

According to a study published on the preprint server arXiv, the mass of potential dark matter particles has significant implications. Experiments have largely focused on a mass range between 10 to 1,000 giga-electron volts (GeV), comparable to the heaviest known particles like the top quark and the W boson. However, researchers have now explored higher mass ranges, uncovering potential inconsistencies.

The study highlights that dark matter particles interacting with the Higgs boson, which plays a crucial role in providing mass to particles, could have profound effects. If dark matter particles were to exceed several thousand GeV, their influence on the Higgs boson’s mass would disrupt the balance observed in particle interactions. Such alterations could theoretically undermine the stability of the universe’s particle framework.

Potential Implications and Alternative Theories

As reported by space,.com, these findings suggest that dark matter models involving heavy particles may not align with observed physical laws. Alternate scenarios propose that dark matter could interact through mechanisms unrelated to the Higgs boson or that its properties are entirely different from current predictions. Axions, ultralight particles supported by some theoretical models, have been proposed as a lighter candidate, prompting renewed interest and investigation.

The study’s insights also point towards refining experimental approaches. Should the hypothesis about heavy dark matter hold, future experiments may need to prioritise the search for lower-mass particles. This pivot could reshape the strategies employed in detecting the elusive component that holds the universe’s secrets.

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