On Monday, Google announced a major breakthrough in quantum computing, overcoming a key challenge with a new generation of quantum chips. The company solved a computing problem in just five minutes that would take a classical computer longer than the entire history of the universe.

As part of the race for faster computing, tech giants like Microsoft and IBM are also working on quantum computing, which promises speeds far surpassing today’s most advanced systems. Although the problem solved by Google’s quantum lab in Santa Barbara, California, doesn’t have direct commercial applications yet, Google believes that quantum computing could one day tackle complex issues in medicine, battery chemistry, and artificial intelligence—fields that current computers cannot address.

The breakthrough came with a new chip called Willow, which has 105 “qubits,” the building blocks of quantum computers. Qubits are incredibly fast but can be prone to errors, caused by even the smallest disturbances, such as subatomic particles from space. As more qubits are added to a chip, the error rate can increase, potentially making the quantum chip no better than a traditional computer chip. This challenge has driven scientists to focus on quantum error correction since the 1990s.

In a paper published in the journal Nature on Monday, Google revealed it has developed a method to link Willow’s qubits in a way that reduces error rates as more qubits are added. Additionally, the company can now correct errors in real-time, which is a major step toward making quantum machines practical for everyday use. Hartmut Neven, who leads Google’s Quantum AI unit, said, “We are past the break-even point.”

In 2019, IBM disputed Google’s claim that its quantum chip solved a problem that would take a classical computer 10,000 years, arguing that with different technical assumptions, a classical computer could solve the same problem in just two-and-a-half days. On Monday, Google addressed these concerns in a blog post, stating that even under the best conditions, a classical computer would still take a billion years to achieve the same results as Willow.

While some of Google’s competitors are focusing on building chips with more qubits, Google is prioritizing the reliability of each qubit. Anthony Megrant, chief architect for Google Quantum AI, explained that their approach is about making the most dependable qubits possible. To support this, Google built its own dedicated fabrication facility, speeding up the development of future chips. These chips are tested in large cryostats—special refrigerators designed to chill them to extremely low temperatures.

“If we have a good idea, we want someone on the team to be able to get that into the clean room and into one of these cryostats as quickly as possible, so we can run multiple cycles of learning,” Megrant added.