Microsoft announced a breakthrough in quantum computing today, unveiling a new kind of quantum processing unit, using a new type of material, to create what it says is a “radically different type of qubit.”
The Majorana 1 – named after the Majorana quasiparticle – is designed to scale to a million qubits on a single chip that can fit in the palm of a hand. The goal is to bring the timeline for practical, reliable, large-scale quantum computers from decades down to years.
The new chip uses a new state of matter. Instead of solid, liquid, or gas, it is in a topological state. The breakthrough required developing a new material made of indium arsenide and aluminum, which Microsoft designed and fabricated atom by atom.
