Microsoft announces 1st quantum chip built on new matter

Category : Technology | Sub Category : Innovation Posted on 2025-03-04 04:56:36

PNA

MANILA – American technology conglomerate Microsoft on Thursday introduced the world’s first quantum chip built on a new type of matter --topological superconductors or topoconductors-- that offer a path to developing quantum systems that are said to be more capable than all the world’s computers today combined.

In a post on Threads, Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella said the chip, dubbed Majorana 1, will help create a quantum computer capable of solving “meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades.”

“Imagine a chip that can fit in the palm of your hand yet is capable of solving problems that even all the computers on Earth today combined could not,” Nadella said.

In a statement, Microsoft said topoconductor is a special category of material that can create a new state of matter -- not a solid, liquid, or gas but a topological state.

The technology, it said, allows the production of a more stable quantum bit (qubit) “that is fast, small, and can be digitally controlled, without the tradeoffs required by current alternatives.”

“In the same way that the invention of semiconductors made today’s smartphones, computers, and electronics possible, topoconductors and the new type of chip they enable offer a path to developing quantum systems that can scale to a million qubits and are capable of tackling the most complex industrial and societal problems,” it said.

The technology required developing a new materials stack made of indium arsenide and aluminum, said to be designed and fabricated “atom by atom.”

“The goal was to coax new quantum particles called Majoranas into existence and take advantage of their unique properties to reach the next horizon of quantum computing,” it said.
Microsoft technical fellow Chetan Nayak said the new architecture offers a clear path to fit a million qubits on a single chip.

“Whatever you’re doing in the quantum space needs to have a path to a million qubits. If it doesn’t, you’re going to hit a wall before you get to the scale at which you can solve the really important problems that motivate us,” he said.

A million-qubit chip, it added, can use quantum mechanics to mathematically map how nature behaves with precision and solve certain types of problems in chemistry, materials science, and other industries that are impossible for today’s computers.

It cited the possibility of creating self-healing materials that can repair cracks in bridges or airplane parts, a one-size-fits-all catalyst capable of cleaning up microplastics or carbon pollution, or enzymes that can lead to eradicating global hunger by boosting soil fertility or promoting sustainable growth of foods in harsh climates.

“The power of quantum computing, combined with AI (artificial intelligence) tools, would allow someone to describe what kind of new material or molecule they want to create in plain language and get an answer that works straightaway –no guesswork or years of trial and error,” it said.