Google’s Willow quantum chip achieved a milestone by performing a computation in under five minutes, which would take a supercomputer ten trillion years. Google acknowledges that the Random Circuit Sampling benchmark lacks real-world applications but claims the chip's ability to handle quantum errors represents a breakthrough.

Alphabet shares soared on quantum computing breakthrough with its Willow chip, gaining 6.3%. Analysts see long-term potential despite hurdles ahead.

Google shares rose on Tuesday after the company's unveiling of "Willow," its latest quantum computing chip. When quantum computing matures, it is expected to be useful for large-scale simulations and code breaking, but that may not be possible for years or decades.