Google’s new quantum computer is 100 million times faster than your PC
Googles D-Wave quantum computer breaks the speed barrier and leaves everything else in its dust.
Key takeaways
- Google announced a breakthrough in the field of Quantum computing on Wednesday.
- The company thinks it's found a quantum algorithm that solves problems 100 million times faster than conventional processes.
- The company recently tested the new QA algorithm in a proof of concept trial against a conventional system running the simulated annealing and Monte Carlo methods and the results are more than impressive.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2015) 'Google’s new quantum computer is 100 million times faster than your PC', 311 Institute, 15 December. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/googles-new-quantum-computer-is-100-million-times-faster-than-your-pc/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Google announced a breakthrough in the field of Quantum computing on Wednesday. The company thinks it's found a quantum algorithm that solves problems 100 million times faster than conventional processes. If confirmed, this discovery could not only lead to iRobot style artificial intelligence but also advance the US space program by light years.
Back in 2013, Google and NASA went halvsies on a $10 million D-Wave X2 computing system which is supposedly the world's first functional quantum computer, although experts both inside and outside the company have never been able to conclusively prove that the machine actually taps into the quantum realm to produce its calculations. That is, until now.
Google's announcement Wednesday centers on "quantum annealing", a technique that determines the global minimum for a given function when presented with a set of potential solutions. In English, it figures out the best, or "most efficient,"way to complete a task when given a set number of options. Scientists have been working on quantum annealers for a while now, though the two primary techniques, "simulated annealing" and "Quantum Monte Carlo" are both just simulated systems running on conventional hardware. The D-Wave system, on the other hand, is hard coded to run the quantum annealing algorithm on its quantum array and it's that that makes the difference.
The company recently tested the new QA algorithm in a proof of concept trial against a conventional system running the simulated annealing and Monte Carlo methods and the results are more than impressive. As you can see from the graph above, Google's method beat out the other two easily, solving a function with 1,000 binary variables a 100 million times faster.
That, however you argue it, is game changing.
Google qualified these results as "intriguing and very encouraging" in its announcement but admitted that they still have a long way to go before the technology is ready for the consumer market.
What this means for your organisation
Optimisation is the first win.
Annealing finds the best answer among many options. Scheduling, routing and logistics are full of such problems. These are likely early uses.
Proof beats speculation.
Doubts about whether the machine was truly quantum were long standing. A clear speedup helps settle the debate. Buyers can take the field more seriously.
Wide use is far off.
Google says there is a long way to go before wider use. Results on chosen problems may not carry over to all tasks. Leaders should test on their own problems.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our scheduling or routing problems involve huge numbers of options?
- How would we test a quantum annealer on our own data?
- When would a quantum speedup justify investment?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Googles D-Wave quantum computer breaks the speed barrier and leaves everything else in its dust.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- announced a breakthrough googleresearch.blogspot.com
- D-Wave X2 computing system dwavesys.com
- Quantum annealing en.wikipedia.org
- Quantum Monte Carlo en.wikipedia.org
- recently tested the new QA algorithm arxiv.org
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 15 December 2015. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2015). Google’s new quantum computer is 100 million times faster than your PC. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/googles-new-quantum-computer-is-100-million-times-faster-than-your-pc/
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