Google houses what is considered the world's most powerful quantum computer, named Willow, inside a secretive lab in Santa Barbara, California. The technology, pivotal to financial security, Bitcoin, government secrets, and the world economy, could determine which companies and countries succeed in the 21st century, according to Faisal Islam, Economics editor who was granted access to the facility.

Willow, resembling an oil barrel-sized series of round discs connected by hundreds of black control wires, suspends a meter in the air. The wires descend into a bronze liquid helium bath refrigerator, maintaining the quantum microchip at a temperature a thousandth of a degree above absolute zero. This extreme cooling is necessary for the quantum bits, or qubits, to maintain their delicate quantum states.

Quantum computing harnesses the principles of quantum mechanics to solve complex problems that are intractable for classical computers. Unlike classical bits, which represent information as 0 or 1, qubits can exist in a superposition of both states simultaneously. This allows quantum computers to explore a vast number of possibilities concurrently, potentially leading to breakthroughs in fields like drug discovery, materials science, and artificial intelligence.

The potential impact of quantum computing extends to cryptography. Current encryption methods, which protect sensitive data, could be vulnerable to attack by powerful quantum computers. This has spurred research into quantum-resistant cryptography to safeguard digital information in the future.

While the physical appearance of Willow might seem underwhelming, its potential is transformative. "It looks, and feels, very eighties, but if quantum's potential is realised, the metal and wire jellyfish structure in front of me will transform the world, in many ways," Islam noted.

Google's Quantum AI lab is at the forefront of this technological revolution, striving to unlock the full potential of quantum computing. The company, along with other tech giants and research institutions, is investing heavily in developing more powerful and stable quantum computers. The race to achieve quantum supremacy, the point at which a quantum computer can perform a task that no classical computer can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time, is intensifying.