Google’s quantum Willow chip may be able to grow ‘magic states’

To overcome errors, the machines need to tap into so-called magic states—and scientists at Google Research think their quantum chip could help get them there.

The standard recipe to make magic states is called distillation, and it creates fewer, more accurate quantum states from many imperfect ones.

“You can have up to 95 percent of your quantum computer being spent just generating these high-fidelity magic states,” Rosenfeld says.

Using Google’s Willow chip, Rosenfeld’s team encoded a rough magic state in a few qubits and then measured it.

which collapses the quantum state to either of those two options, the team asked, “Are you the right magic state: yes or no?”