Microsoft's breakthrough quantum chip can outperform all existing computers combined
What's the story
In a major leap for quantum computing, Microsoft has unveiled its new Majorana 1 processor.
The development comes from a 17-year-long research project to develop a new material and architecture for quantum computing.
The Majorana 1 chip, as it is called, is Microsoft's first quantum processor based on the new architecture, marking a major milestone in the world of quantum technology.
Technological leap
Majorana 1 chip: A leap in quantum computing
The Majorana 1 chip marks a major leap in quantum computing as it could host as many as a million qubits on a single chip, approximately the size of CPUs in desktop PCs and servers.
Instead of electrons, this new processor leverages the Majorana particle, first theorized by physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937.
This novel approach hopes to make qubits more reliable, less error-prone or data-losing.
Quantum innovation
Microsoft's innovative topoconductor and topological qubits
Microsoft has pulled off this tech wizardry by creating the "world's first topoconductor," a special material that can observe and control Majorana particles to form more stable qubits.
The company has explained its work in a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature.
It describes how researchers created topological qubits using a new material made of indium arsenide and aluminum, with eight such qubits on a chip that could scale up to one million.
Quantum potential
Potential applications and future of quantum computing
A single chip with a million qubits could conduct highly accurate simulations, paving the way for advancements in our understanding of the world and breakthroughs in fields like medicine and material science.
"Our leadership has been working on this program for the last 17 years. It's the longest-running research project in the company," said Zulfi Alam, VP of quantum computing at Microsoft.
He added that these results "will fundamentally redefine how the next stage of the quantum journey takes place."
Future path
Quantum computers could become reality in years, not decades: Nadella
"We believe this breakthrough will allow us to create a truly meaningful quantum computer not in decades, as some have predicted, but in years," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
"Imagine a chip that can fit in the palm of your hand yet is capable of solving problems that even all the computers on Earth today combined could not!"
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has chosen Microsoft for the final phase of its Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC).