Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1 on Wednesday, its inaugural quantum computing chip, marking a significant milestone after nearly two decades of research.
Technologists thinks quantum computers process information using qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously, unlike classical bits that are either 0 or 1, according to CNBC.
This ability, combined with entanglement, allows them to tackle complex problems far more efficiently than traditional computers, with potential breakthroughs in cryptography, drug discovery, and material science.
Google and IBM, along with smaller firms like IonQ and Rigetti Computing, have also developed quantum processors.
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s quantum chip, Majorana 1, features eight topological qubits made from indium arsenide (a semiconductor) and aluminum (a superconductor). A recent Nature paper provides a detailed overview of the chip.
Unlike its Maia 100 AI chip, which will be available through Azure, Microsoft’s Majorana 1 quantum chip won’t be accessible to clients yet. Instead, it represents a step toward building a chip with a million qubits, following years of physics research.
However, the company stated that its producing Majorana 1’s components in the U.S. instead of outsourcing to Taiwan Semiconductor or other manufacturers. This is feasible because the project is still at a small scale.
“We want to get to a few hundred qubits before we start talking about commercial reliability,” Jason Zander, a Microsoft executive vice president, told CNBC.
Microsoft said it will collaborate with national laboratories and universities to conduct research using Majorana 1.
