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Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, engaged with his Tesla counterpart Elon Musk after the announcement of Google’s latest quantum computing advancement, Willow. The conversation, which unfolded on X (formerly Twitter), quickly went viral, capturing the attention of tech enthusiasts and industry professionals.
On X, Mr Pichai introduced Willow, calling it a “state-of-the-art quantum computing chip with a breakthrough that can reduce errors exponentially.” He added, “In benchmark tests, Willow solved a standard computation in <5 mins that would take a leading supercomputer over 10^25 years, far beyond the age of the universe(!).”
Introducing Willow, our new state-of-the-art quantum computing chip with a breakthrough that can reduce errors exponentially as we scale up using more qubits, cracking a 30-year challenge in the field. In benchmark tests, Willow solved a standard computation in <5 mins that would…
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) December 9, 2024
Mr Musk’s reaction to Google’s latest invention was succinct yet enthusiastic. He shared a simple, one-word response —“Wow” — showing his admiration for the innovation.
Wow
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2024
Mr Pichai soon responded, suggesting a forward-thinking vision. “We should do a quantum cluster in space with Starship one day,” referring to Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starship, a spacecraft designed to carry crew and cargo for missions to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
We should do a quantum cluster in space with Starship one day:)
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) December 9, 2024
Musk replied, “That will probably happen,” before steering the conversation into a broader discussion on cosmic philosophy, referencing the Kardashev scale, a method of measuring a civilisation’s technological advancement based on energy consumption. He added, “Any self-respecting civilization should at least reach Kardashev Type II. In my opinion, we are currently only at <5% of Type I. To get to ~30%, we would need to place solar panels in all desert or highly arid regions.”
To this, the Google CEO said, “Indeed. We should scale solar so much more, amazing that we keep looking at alternatives when the most obvious path is staring at our eyes, literally!”
indeed. We should scale solar so much more, amazing that we keep looking at alternatives when the most obvious path is staring at our eyes, literally!
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) December 9, 2024
The exchange quickly gained traction and was met with excitement from users.
James Yenbamroong, a space entrepreneur, wrote, “Awesome, exciting quantum stuff!”
Awesome, exciting quantum stuff! https://t.co/EEAv9gvsvh
— James Yenbamroong (@JamesWorldSpace) December 9, 2024
Another user wrote, “It’s so cool that we get to see on X unfiltered discussions between CEOs!”
It’s so cool that we get to see on X unfiltered discussions between CEOs!
— Hyperion_Atlas ???????? (@hyperiongr) December 9, 2024
One user praised the depth of the conversation,saying, “Wow, so cool to be able to see business partnership discussed in real time.”
Wow, so cool to be able to see business partnership discussed in real time. X is irreplaceable.
Being a fly on the wall in business discussion is no longer a dream!
— Jin Li (@li252708) December 9, 2024
“This interaction, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should go on X.” wrote another commentator.
Earlier, Google, while launching Willow, wrote in a post on X, “Meet Willow, our newest quantum chip. In under 5 minutes, it’s able to perform a benchmark computation that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years. (That’s greater than the age of the universe!)”
Meet Willow, our newest quantum chip. In under 5 minutes, it’s able to perform a benchmark computation that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years. (That’s greater than the age of the universe!) Learn more ↓ https://t.co/6UnDvVt7v2
— Google (@Google) December 9, 2024
Our new chip demonstrates error correction and performance that paves the way to a useful, large-scale quantum computer, the tech giant said in a blog post.
