Willow, Google’s newly unveiled superchip, is being praised for solving a challenge that has plagued the quantum computing field for nearly 30 years.

"A good quantum computer is a machine that can perform over a thousand calculations before the system encounters an error," Steve Brierley, CEO of error-correction company Riverlane, told Business Insider.

While traditional computers process information using binary bits—ones and zeros representing on or off states—quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can represent 0, 1, or both simultaneously. Because quantum computers’ basic units of information can represent all possibilities at once, they are theoretically much faster and more powerful than classical computers.

Errors are unavoidable in computing, including quantum computing. Classical computers use error-correction techniques, such as ECC (Error Correction Code), to detect and correct errors like "bit flips," where a bit mistakenly switches from 0 to 1 or vice versa, causing system malfunctions.

In quantum computing, bit errors are even more common and harder to fix. Qubits can experience both bit flips and phase flips, where the qubit’s state suddenly changes direction, leading to inaccuracies in quantum calculations. Last year, Amazon announced progress on a self-correcting quantum chip, though no new updates have been released.

Error reduction in scaling qubits has long been considered "below threshold"—a challenge unresolved since 1995. With the Willow chip, Google claims to have added more qubits to ensure fewer errors and states that the chip reduces errors exponentially.

The researchers behind Willow used Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) to compare computational speeds across different technologies. RCS is a gold standard in quantum computing and one of the most rigorous benchmarks for measuring computational speed.

According to Google, despite its candy-sized dimensions, Willow can complete a standard calculation in under five minutes—something the world’s fastest classical computers would take 10 million trillion years to achieve, a duration longer than the known age of the universe.

"In quantum computing, error correction is much harder and requires significantly more hardware to function properly, which is why Google’s progress is so significant," Mark Saffman, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Wisconsin Quantum Institute, told Business Insider.

For Brierley, Google’s quantum leap is comparable to the evolution of mobile networks from 1G to 2G. "When moving from 1G to 2G, Qualcomm added error correction to the stack, enabling a wave of new possibilities. That’s exactly what’s happening in quantum computing," he said.

Brierley believes continuous error correction is a "crucial piece" in building quantum computers. As companies scale up qubit numbers and advance quantum computing, they can reach the "application point" where quantum systems can be used for real-world purposes.

Speaking to Fortune, Javad Shabani, director of the Center for Quantum Information Physics at New York University, described Google’s breakthrough as "one of the highlights of the decade," even suggesting that it brings quantum computers one step closer to practical applications.

Following Willow’s release, Elon Musk expressed astonishment and hinted at the potential to deploy clusters using the chip in space.

Practical Impact "Not Immediate"

At Willow’s launch, Google announced partnerships with companies in pharmaceuticals, material science, battery technology, and other fields to explore applications of the new chip. However, experts predict that it will take at least five years for the chip to have practical applications.

"I think we’ll see applications of Willow and other quantum computers emerge within the next five years. However, it’s hard to predict the exact timeline," Saffman commented.

Kaden Hazzard, a physics professor at Rice University, acknowledged Google’s breakthrough but noted it doesn’t mean conventional laptops will soon be replaced by quantum computers. "It will take at least a few more years before we can directly use quantum computers for practical applications," he told Fortune.

Sebastian Weidt, a professor of quantum computing at the University of Sussex and CEO of Universal Quantum, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that quantum computers are still far from impacting the general public. According to him, beyond error correction, scaling qubits into the millions is essential to "unlock real-world applications."

Concerns that Willow might be capable of breaking advanced encryption standards have also been overstated, said Tirthak Patel, assistant professor of computer science at Rice University. "Breaking advanced cryptography requires a much faster chip than Willow. Researchers are also developing quantum-resistant encryption," Patel noted.

Despite this, Willow’s advancements are pushing quantum computing research to new heights. While investors may not see immediate returns, Brierley believes breakthroughs like Willow will attract more funding and talent to the field.

"Quantum computers remain far from being useful compared to classical ones," Saffman told Business Insider. "But Google’s achievement is a significant step forward."