Google Quantum Computer Executes Algorithm 13,000 Times Faster Than Leading Supercomputer

Researchers at Google’s laboratory announced that their quantum processor successfully ran a new algorithm at a speed 13,000 times greater than that of a top classical supercomputer executing comparable code. The result, described in a paper published in *Nature*, marks a quantitative leap in quantum hardware performance for practical computational tasks.

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The achievement builds on experimental work from the mid-1980s in which Michel H. Devont, then a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, helped demonstrate that quantum-mechanical phenomena could be observed in electrical circuits large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Those early experiments, later recognized with a Nobel Prize in Physics, laid the groundwork for modern quantum-information technologies that now underpin advances in telecommunications and fiber-optic systems.

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• Michel H. Devont – Nobel laureate physicist, co-author of the *Nature* paper, and Google Quantum AI researcher since 2023.

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• Google Quantum AI Lab – The research team operating the quantum processor used for the benchmark.

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• Nature – Scientific journal that published the peer-reviewed report of the experiment.

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• Mid-1980s – Devont’s team demonstrates macroscopic quantum effects in electrical circuits.

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• 2023 – Devont joins Google’s quantum-computing effort.

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• 2025 (October 22) – Google lab announces the 13,000-fold speed advantage of its quantum algorithm.

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The algorithm’s execution time on the quantum device was measured to be 13,000 times shorter than that of a leading classical supercomputer running analogous code. The paper cites potential acceleration of research in drug discovery, the design of novel building materials, and other fields that rely on complex molecular or materials simulations.

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If scalable, such speedups could enable calculations that are currently infeasible on classical platforms, shortening development cycles for pharmaceuticals and advanced materials. The result also provides empirical evidence that quantum advantage can be realized beyond abstract theoretical tasks, moving the technology closer to real-world applications.

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Google’s authors reported that the quantum processor’s performance “demonstrates a clear quantum advantage for a problem of practical relevance,” emphasizing that larger quantum systems are expected to broaden the range of solvable problems. The team highlighted the algorithm’s relevance to industries that require high-precision simulations.

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> “In the future when we have bigger quantum computers, we will be able to run calculations that would be impossible with classical algorithms,” — Michel H. Devont, Nobel laureate and Google researcher

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The article does not disclose the specific architecture of the quantum processor, the nature of the algorithm beyond its speed claim, or the criteria used to benchmark the classical supercomputer. These gaps limit independent verification of the reported advantage.

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Google’s researchers indicate that expanding quantum hardware capacity is a priority, with forthcoming experiments aimed at tackling larger, more complex computational challenges. Continued publication of benchmark results will be essential for tracking progress toward broader quantum-computing deployment.

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