Microsoft has taken a bold step forward in quantum computing with the launch of Majorana 1, a revolutionary quantum processing unit (QPU) built on a topological core. Unlike previous designs, this new QPU relies on topoconductors, a newly classified state of matter that challenges conventional physics.
By proving the existence of the Majorana particle, Microsoft has unlocked topological superconductivity, bringing the industry closer to large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Extreme circumstances, including as almost absolute zero temperatures and well calibrated magnetic fields, are necessary for Majorana 1 to operate. Microsoft’s approach is based on topological superconducting nanowires with Majorana Zero Modes (MZMs) at both ends. Due to their qubit-like functionality, these MZMs offer greater stability, reliability, and efficiency than traditional quantum devices.
According to CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s qubits are significantly more reliable, smaller, and faster than those in competing quantum systems. With a dimension of just 1/100th of a millimeter, these qubits provide a simple and scalable path to a processor with a million qubits. However, Microsoft can only scale up to eight qubits at this time, which is far from what the company wants to do in the future.
Nevertheless, Microsoft technical associate Chetan Nayak is not giving up hope. “A roadmap to a million qubits is a prerequisite for any quantum system. Without it, advancement will halt before having a practical impact. We have figured out a clear way to accomplish that.
Notably, Microsoft and PsiQuantum are the only two businesses to get to the last stage of DARPA’s Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program. Microsoft plans to use this initiative to create a utility-scale, error-corrected quantum computer that is completely connected with Azure data centers.
Microsoft thinks that by speeding up the development of quantum computing, it will be able to release useful applications far sooner than anticipated. According to Nadella, “this breakthrough could allow us to build a truly meaningful quantum computer—in just a few years, rather than decades, as some have predicted.”
