Microsoft has unveiled a new quantum chip, the Majorana 1, sparking a renewed debate about the timeline for the quantum computing revolution. The company asserted that this technology is “years, not decades” away from fundamentally changing computing, placing them alongside Google and IBM in projecting a near-term shift.
Quantum computing promises to tackle calculations that would take current systems millions of years. This breakthrough could unlock discoveries in sectors such as medicine and chemistry, where the vast number of molecular combinations overwhelms classical computers. However, quantum computers also pose a potential threat to cybersecurity, as current encryption methods rely on the computational difficulty of brute-force attacks.
The primary hurdle in quantum computing stems from qubits, the fundamental building blocks similar to bits in classical computers. These qubits, which are incredibly fast, are also highly sensitive and prone to errors. Microsoft claims its Majorana 1 chip solves this issue, minimizing errors compared to competitor’s offerings. The company cites a forthcoming scientific paper in the journal Nature as supporting evidence.
The timing of effective quantum computers has become a point of contention within the tech industry. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, expressed broader skepticism, estimating the technology is two decades away from surpassing his company’s chips—mainstays in artificial intelligence. Google, after showcasing its own quantum chip last year, countered this by suggesting commercial quantum computing applications are only five years away. IBM has targeted 2033 for widespread quantum computer deployment.
Microsoft’s Majorana 1 has been nearly two decades in the making and utilizes the Majorana fermion, a subatomic particle first theorized in the 1930s. This particle’s inherent properties help mitigate the errors that plague quantum computers, though physicists have had difficulty finding and controlling the particle.
Microsoft’s chip creation involved indium arsenide and aluminum, utilizing a superconducting nanowire to detect the particles. The device is further controlled with conventional computing equipment. Although the chip unveiled this week includes fewer qubits than counterparts from Google and IBM, Microsoft believes that fewer Majorana-based qubits will be needed to make useful computers because of the expected lower error rates. The company declined to provide a specific timeframe for scaling up the chip to create quantum computers exceeding current capabilities, but stated in a blog post this advancement is within “years, not decades.”
Jason Zander, Microsoft’s executive vice president overseeing long-term strategic initiatives, characterized the Majorana 1 as a “high risk, high reward” strategy. The chip was fabricated at Microsoft labs in Washington state and Denmark.
“The hardest part has been solving the physics. There is no textbook for this, and we had to invent it,” Zander said in a Reuters interview. “We literally have invented the ability to go create this thing, atom by atom, layer by layer.”
Philip Kim, a physics professor at Harvard University, uninvolved with Microsoft’s research, noted the Majorana fermions as a longstanding subject of interest among physicists. He called Microsoft’s achievement a key “exciting development” that positions the company at the cutting edge of quantum research. Kim also observed that Microsoft’s use of a semiconductor-superconductor hybrid is a promising method that could be scaled up.
“Although there’s no demonstration (of this scaling up) yet, what they are doing is really successful,” Kim said.
Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Henderson and Jamie Freed
