Google Flaunts Its Quantum Algorithm

Google claims to have developed a quantum computer algorithm that is 13,000 times faster than the most powerful supercomputers.

This would bring the technology another step closer to real-world applications in medicine and material science within the next half-decade. Known as Quantum Echoes, the out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) is a first-of-its-kind algorithm that can be used to better understand the structural composition of natural systems, like black holes or molecules.

Powered by Google's Willow quantum chip, the company claims that it is the first time that quantum technologies have run a verifiable algorithm, meaning that the algorithm can achieve the same results on any quantum hardware. This is a major step in producing the repeatable, scalable results necessary for real-world applications, like building a quantum-powered engine.

Google showcased these accomplishments in two October 2025 studies, which highlighted the advanced capabilities of Quantum Echoes. The first, published in Nature, shows how its verifiable results could lead to applications in fields like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

In a second piece, available on arXiv, Google researchers used these quantum computing techniques to unlock chemical structures using what the company calls a "molecular ruler" to measure the distances between atoms. Together, the studies reflect Google's advancements towards viable quantum algorithms and chip hardware.

Founded in 2012, Google Quantum AI is at the forefront of the search for sustained, scalable quantum computing capabilities. In December 2024, the company released its Willow quantum chip, with enough computational power to complete a benchmark test in under five minutes that the world's strongest supercomputer would typically take 10 septillion years. And although such quantum feats often lead to hyperbolic proclamations like reversing time, Google hopes its new algorithm will propel it to finding real-world applications for one of the world's most innovative emerging technologies.

Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm carries major consequences for the company's pursuit of real-world quantum computing functionalities.

The tech giant's application of the technology in a physical experiment meant its final results had to meet strict, verifiable complexity precision standards. These leaps are best exhibited in the company's joint experiment with UC Berkley, in which the Quantum Echoes algorithm provided new insights into the structures and behaviors of two molecules. The results matched those found by traditional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance techniques, which map molecular structures through the magnetic spins at the center of atoms.

The experiment showcased how the algorithm could be used to better understand the complex dynamics of these magnetic spins. According to a company blog post, the test was a significant step towards a quantum-scope "capable of measuring previously unobservable natural phenomena," analogous to the telescope or microscope. Such developments could be crucial in developing new medicines, expanding our understanding of Alzheimer's disease, or crafting new industrial materials.