Google Reduced Quantum Computing Errors by 40 Times Thanks to New Method

Published: October 17, 2026 – 10:08 UTC

Google reduced the error rate in quantum computing by 40 times.
The new method helps overcome one of the main obstacles in quantum computing.
Accuracy in quantum computing reached 99.99%.

The Google Quantum AI team demonstrated the magic state cultivation method on the Willow quantum processor, reducing the number of errors by about 40 times compared with conventional creation of such states. The research results were published in Science.

The development helps overcome one of the main barriers to scaling quantum computers, which need resources to perform complex computations with error correction.

How Google Overcame One of the Main Obstacles in Quantum Computing

“Magic” states are special quantum states required to perform universal quantum computation, including operations that go beyond the capabilities of the standard set of quantum gates. The problem is that producing high-quality, error-corrected states requires significant computational resources.

By some estimates, this can consume up to 95% of a quantum computer’s total capacity, leaving only a small share of resources for actually running tasks. In addition, a used “magic” state cannot be reused.

The Google Quantum AI team has been working on solving this problem since 2024. Researchers Craig Gidney, Noah Shattuck, and Cody Jones developed the idea of magic state cultivation — a method that makes it possible to obtain higher-quality quantum states through a series of coordinated measurements.

The process works like a filter: researchers feed a noisy initial state into a small region of the quantum chip, check it for errors, and discard failed attempts. As a result, a purified state with a lower error rate is produced, which can be converted into a larger quantum code.

However, practical implementation of the method required additional engineering solutions. In particular, Google Quantum AI researcher Emma Rosenfeld found that the results of the initial experiments were being distorted due to an incorrect assumption in the measurement methodology. It was affected by low-frequency noise related to temperature fluctuations and the operation of electrical equipment.

The team changed its system control approaches and developed a new method for validating results, using the magic state cultivation process itself to measure its accuracy.

Experiment Results and the Link to the Quantum Threat to Cryptocurrencies

On the Willow processor, researchers achieved a 40-fold reduction in the number of errors compared with states created without using the cultivation method. In addition, the team produced T-type states with a record logical accuracy of 99.99%.

The researchers also demonstrated the method’s compatibility with the quantum processor architecture. They successfully transferred purified states between two types of quantum error-correcting codes — the color code and the surface code. This is an important step toward integrating the method into more complex quantum systems.

At the same time, Google emphasized that the technology still needs to be scaled before it can be used for practical quantum computing. Despite the progress, technical challenges remain, including qubit state leakage outside the computational space and improving operation fidelity.

The study’s results are also relevant to the debate about the potential impact of quantum computing on the cryptocurrency industry. In late March 2026, Google Quantum AI already warned that future quantum computers could break cryptographic systems faster than previously expected. This increased attention on the transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

In May, Galaxy Digital’s head of research, Alex Thorn, noted that the risk of quantum attacks on early bitcoins associated with Satoshi Nakamoto remains limited and long-term. According to him, these assets are distributed across roughly 22,000 addresses holding 50 BTC each, which makes a potential attack more difficult.

At the same time, the Project Eleven report The Quantum Threat to Blockchains — 2026 named 2033 as the baseline date for the so-called Q-Day — the moment when a quantum computer will be able to break modern cryptography. The optimistic scenario points to 2042, while the most aggressive scenario points to 2030.

At the same time, Ethereum developer Justin Drake also estimated the probability of Q-Day occurring by 2032 at 50%.

In addition, Microsoft accelerated its Quantum Safe Program, planning to complete the core transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2029. Later, StarkWare researcher Avihu Levy reported the successful execution of the first quantum-resistant transaction on the Bitcoin network without protocol-level changes.

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Source: Incrypted