On February 19, in an official announcement Microsoft introduced Majorana 1. This is the world’s first Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) powered by a Topological Core, designed to scale to a million qubits on a single chip.
The tech giant aims to bring rapid advancements on the path to useful quantum computing. Let’s get an insider look ate what the new discovery has in store for you.
Reading the state of Microsoft’s topological qubit | Microsoft Blog
Decoding Majorana 1
Majorana 1can be defined as the world’s first Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) powered by a Topological Core. This is a device roadmap to reliable quantum computation. Microsoft also said that this is their path from single-qubit devices to arrays that enable quantum error correction.Built with a breakthrough class of materials called a topoconductor, Majorana 1 marks a transformative leap toward practical quantum computing.
Microsoft is on track to build an FTP of a scalable quantum computer—in years, not decades—as part of the final phase of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program.
Majorana 1: An insider look
This revolutionary class of materials will enables Microsoft to create topological superconductivity. Notably, topological superconductivity is a new state of matter that previously existed only in theory. The advance stems from Microsoft’s innovations in the design and fabrication of gate-defined devices that combine indium arsenide (a semiconductor) and aluminum (a superconductor).
When cooled to near absolute zero and tuned with magnetic fields, these devices form topological superconducting nanowires with Majorana Zero Modes (MZMs) at the wires’ ends.
The roadmap ahead
Looking ahead, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Microsoft as one of two companies to advance to the final phase of their rigorous benchmarking program known as Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC)—one of the programs that makes up DARPA’s larger Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). Microsoft views this recognition as validation of our roadmap for building a fault-tolerant quantum computer with topological qubits.
