Microsoft Majorana-1: quantum сhip for AI

Microsoft Corporation has introduced the world’s first quantum chip, named Majorana 1, which took 17 years to develop and create. The company believes that this processor will accelerate the emergence of quantum computers.

Theoretically, the scaling limit of Majorana 1 reaches up to a million qubits. The processor is based on a new topological core architecture.

At its core, it uses topological superconductors—a new type of material capable of capturing and controlling Majorana particles, first described by theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937.

According to a research paper published by Microsoft in *Nature*, the topological superconductors are made from indium arsenide and aluminum. The company spent decades developing this project.

"Our team has been working on this program for 17 years. It is the longest-running research program at the company. After 17 years, we are showing results that are not just incredible, they are real. They will radically change how the next stage of the quantum journey will unfold," commented Zulfi Alam, Corporate Vice President for Quantum Technologies at Microsoft, during the presentation.

Majorana 1 is only slightly larger than current computer processors and can fit in the palm of an adult's hand.

The prototype successfully housed eight qubits. However, to reach the commercial level, this number needs to be increased to several hundred, said Vice President of the Corporation, Jason Zander, in an interview with *CNBC*.

Therefore, the Majorana 1 chip will not be available to customers of the Azure cloud service. Zander mentioned that the situation might change by 2030.

Additionally, the company announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Microsoft has become one of two contractors involved in the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program to create the industry’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer.

Microsoft’s (MSFT) stock reacted to the news with an increase of nearly 2%.