Microsoft has announced its Majorana 1, the first quantum chip powered by a topological core architecture.
Majorana 1 is the first ever topoconductor, according to Microsoft, a type of material which can observe and control Majorana particles to produce scalable and reliable qubits, the building blocks for quantum computers.
These topoconductors and the new type of chip could offer a path to developing quantum systems that can scale to a million qubits, designed to tackle complex industrial and societal problems, according to Microsoft.
The topoconductor is a special category of material that can create a new state of matter, different from a solid, liquid, or gas. This topological state is used to produce a more stable qubit that can be digitally controlled.
The new architecture used to develop the processor aims to fit a million qubits on a single chip that can fit in the palm of a person’s hand, with Microsoft stating that current computers operating together cannot do what a one-million-qubit quantum computer will be able to do.
Chetan Nayak, technical fellow, Microsoft, commented: “We took a step back and said ‘OK, let’s invent the transistor for the quantum age. What properties does it need to have?
“And that’s really how we got here – it’s the particular combination, the quality and the important details in our new materials stack that have enabled a new kind of qubit and ultimately our entire architecture. 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. We have actually worked out a path to a million.”