After two decades of quantum computing research, Microsoft unveiled its first quantum chip: Majorana 1.
The company says:
Microsoft's quantum chip uses eight topological qubits using indium arsenide, which is a semiconductor, and aluminum, which is a superconductor.
A new publication in the journal Nature describes the chip in detailMicrosoft will not allow its customers to use the Majorana 1 chip through the company's public Azure cloud, as it plans to do with its custom AI chip, Maia 100.
Instead, Majorana 1 is a step towards the goal of a million qubits on a chip, after extensive physics research.
Instead of relying on Taiwan Semiconductor or another company for manufacturing, Microsoft is manufacturing the Majorana 1 components itself in the US.
This is possible because the project unfolds on a small scale.
“We want to get to a few hundred qubits before we start talking about commercial reliability,” Jason Zander, Microsoft’s executive vice president, told CNBC.
In the meantime, the company will collaborate with national laboratories and universities for research using Majorana 1.
George is still wondering what he is doing here….
