The Quantum leap: What Google’s Willow chip means for security and business

February 02, 2025

In December 2024, Google unveiled Willow, its latest quantum chip, widely recognised as a significant milestone in quantum computing. With its exponential ability to reduce errors while scaling qubits and perform computations that are impossible for classical supercomputers, Willow highlights both the potential and the challenges of quantum technology. While this breakthrough moves us closer to practical quantum applications, it also raises pressing questions about its immediate impact on the security landscape.

Quantum computing is fundamentally different from classical computing, which relies on bits–binary units that are either 0 or 1. Quantum computers use qubits, which use the principles of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement. Superposition allows qubits to exist in multiple states simultaneously, enabling them to perform many calculations at once. Imagine flipping a coin that can be both heads and tails at the same time, rather than just one or the other. Entanglement is a phenomenon where qubits become linked, so the state of one qubit is instantly connected to the state of another, no matter how far apart they are.

These statistical and probabilistic properties allow quantum computers to process certain types of information exponentially faster than classical systems. This is particularly advantageous for low level tasks like optimisation, material simulation, and cryptography–problems that are practically impossible for current cutting edge classical computers to solve.

Key breakthroughs of Willow

Willow’s breakthroughs bring this paradigm closer to reality by addressing one of quantum computing’s biggest challenges and a milestone that has been pursued since 1995¹: Error Rates. Qubits are highly sensitive to environmental noise, which causes frequent errors. When error rates exceed 50%, computations become unreliable. However, Willow achieves “below-treshold” error correction, meaning it can reduce errors exponentially as the number of qubits scales up. This breakthrough allows a calculation to be repeated several times, and averaged out until it can be proven to be correct with great mathematical certainty, providing more reliable results–an essential step toward fault-tolerant quantum systems. Additionally, Willow demonstrated performance beyond classical limits by completing a computation in under five minutes–a task that would take the fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years²–showcasing the immense potential of quantum systems.

With these innovations, Willow is not just advancing raw computational power but also laying the groundwork for scalable, practical quantum computing that has the potential to transform industries and solve problems once considered insurmountable.

Though Google’s advancements in quantum computing may generate optimism, industry leaders have offered more tempered expectations. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicts that it could take 15 to 30 years³ for “very useful” quantum computers to emerge, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggests that practical applications are still at least a decade⁴ away. Despite this cautious outlook, some industry figures remain more optimistic. D-Wave Quantum CEO Alan Baratz dismissed Huang’s skepticism, arguing that progress in quantum technology is accelerating faster than many anticipate and that D-Wave Quantum is “commercial today”⁵.

¹ Universal Quantum. (2021, November 2). The big impact of quantum error correction - Universal Quantum - Medium. Medium.

² Neven, H. (2024, December 9). Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip. Google; Google: The Keyword.

³Snyder, J. (2025, January 10). What Nvidia’s CEO missed about quantum computing. Forbes.

⁴ Nguyen, B. (2025, January 13). Mark Zuckerberg joined Nvidia’s CEO in doubting quantum computing - and the stocks plunge again. Quartz.

⁵ Kif Leswing. (2025, January 8). Nvidia’s Jensen Huang is “dead wrong” about quantum computers, D-Wave CEO says. CNBC.

Security Implications: The Long and Short of It

While quantum computing promises unparalleled computational power, the threat it poses to current systems is not an immediate concern. The technology is still years away from becoming commercially viable, let alone being implemented for breaching current security mechanisms. However, its most significant implication lies with scenarios such as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later that emerges as a great potential risk. In such cases, adversaries collect encrypted data today, intending to decrypt it once quantum computers become powerful enough. This risk is particularly relevant for entities such as governments and national security agencies which handle vast amounts of highly sensitive data. Nation-state actors, with their significant resources and ability to store large volumes of data over extended periods, represent a notable threat in this context. That said, Willow’s breakthrough does not yet signal an immediate threat.

For business organisations, the current implications of quantum computing remain largely experimental, with no immediate practical applications. While it is important to continue research and preparation for post-quantum cryptography (PQC), particularly for an organisation's most sensitive data, other aspects of security should remain the primary focus in the near term.

What this means for businesses today

Recognise current limitations: Quantum computing remains in the experimental stage, with no practical applications available yet. Businesses should remain informed about advancements but understand that the technology is still years from being commercially viable.
Prepare strategically: While it is prudent to begin considering post-quantum cryptography (PQC) solutions, particularly for highly sensitive data, organisations should not prioritise this transition prematurely. Instead, they should focus on strengthening existing security measures to address current threats.
Stay balanced and realistic: Quantum computing holds transformative potential, but it is a long-term development. Leaders should separate meaningful progress from hype, keeping a watchful eye on the field while avoiding speculative investments and focusing on actionable improvements on their current processes.

While Google’s Willow chip is an exciting development in quantum computing, this technology is still years away from being commercially viable. The breakthroughs remain largely experimental, with no immediate impact on current security practices. Our priorities should focus on continuously improving existing security operations and adopting best practices to address present-day threats. At the same time, it is prudent to take note of advancements in quantum computing and prepare for a future where post-quantum cryptography becomes essential for protecting sensitive data.