WASHINGTON: Microsoft Corporation has announced its first quantum computing chip, marking a significant step towards developing machines capable of solving complex problems beyond the capabilities of modern computers.
The chip, named Majorana 1, utilises eight qubits—the fundamental units of quantum computing—on a compact piece of hardware.
While currently limited to basic mathematical problem-solving, Microsoft engineers believe it lays the groundwork for scalable quantum machines that could eventually accommodate up to one million qubits.
The company introduced Majorana 1 on Wednesday, stating that it possesses the essential components to evolve into a palm-sized processor with a million qubits, a leap that could revolutionise fields such as drug discovery, environmental science, and advanced materials research.
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“A million-qubit quantum computer isn’t just a milestone—it’s a gateway to solving some of the world’s most difficult problems,” Microsoft technical fellow Chetan Nayak wrote in a company blog post.
Quantum stability
Quantum computers are notoriously unstable, as qubits are highly susceptible to errors. Microsoft claims to have addressed this challenge through its Topological Core architecture, which leverages an indium arsenide and aluminium material stack, engineered at the atomic level.
The structure, combined with magnetic fields, creates a new class of quantum particles known as Majoranas, which function as topological qubits—designed to carry data more reliably than traditional qubits.
The instability of qubits has long been a hurdle in large-scale quantum computing. Experts note that significant resources are spent on error correction, leaving too few usable qubits for practical applications. Microsoft believes its architecture offers a breakthrough in overcoming this limitation.
Other major technology firms are also making strides in quantum computing. In December 2023, Google’s Quantum AI team introduced Willow, a 105-qubit processor with an improved error correction method.
IBM, meanwhile, unveiled Condor, a 1,121-qubit processor, in the same year. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has also reported advancements in quantum technology.
Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, remarked that while quantum computing is poised to be the next major evolution in computing, “the trouble is that there isn’t one technique. There’s still a lot of experimentation.”
Commercialisation and future prospects
Despite rapid advancements, commercial-scale quantum computers remain years away. Industry analysts predict that while practical quantum systems will not take the 20 years forecasted by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in January, they are still “five to ten years” from widespread use. “We already have a few really small ones. They’re not great because they’re tiny,” Gold added.
Quantum computing systems are currently limited to research institutions and select organisations with highly specialised applications.
Companies such as D-Wave Systems manufacture quantum machines, but widespread adoption remains constrained by the need for extensive supporting technology, including new programming languages.
Additionally, quantum computers require near-zero temperatures to function, making them expensive and challenging to commercialise. “A research project is one thing, but building a cost-effective system that people can afford to use is a different battle,” Gold noted.
Microsoft is among the companies chosen by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for its initiative to develop an industrial-scale quantum computer by 2033.
The company is also collaborating with Quantinuum and Atom Computing to build an integrated quantum system.
