Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella just declared that his company has discovered a new “state of matter,” which it used to create the Majorana 1 quantum chip. The tech firm unveiled the new chip on February 19, 2025, highlighting a significant advancement in quantum computing technology.
The Majorana 1 is the world’s first quantum chip, and it is powered by a new Topological Core architecture that Microsoft expects will bring the world closer to creating quantum computers capable of solving meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years rather than decades.
Microsoft introduces the world’s first topoconductor
Microsoft may have cemented its place in history by creating the world’s first topoconductor, a breakthrough type of material with the ability to observe and control Majorana particles to produce more reliable and scalable qubits, which are the building blocks for quantum computers.
To understand what a topoconductor is, let’s go back in time to before semiconductors were invented. Back then, they needed advanced sensors and control systems to power smartphones, computers, and electronics, and semiconductors were the breakthrough they needed.
Semiconductors are essentially the brains of electronic devices and this is because their conductivity changes based on the environment. These things allowed engineers to greatly reduce the size of electronic components, subsequently reducing the size and cost of devices while increasing their functionality.
Thanks to their invention, tech marvels like the smartphone, faster computers, and electronic devices came into existence. Topoconductors are the next level — essentially an upgrade that offers a path to developing quantum systems that can scale to a million qubits and have the ability to tackle the most complex industrial and societal problems.
“We took a step back and said ‘OK, let’s invent the transistor for the quantum age. What properties does it need to have?’” said Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow. “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.”
According to Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, it took almost two decades of intensive research and work to create the topoconductor, and he believes the breakthrough will lead to the creation of a meaningful quantum computer in years rather than decades as many often predict.
The qubits created with the new topoconductors are faster, more reliable, and smaller. They are 1/100th of a millimeter, which means a clear path to a million-qubit processor.
“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,” Nayak said. “We have actually worked out a path to a million.”
“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 wrote.
Nadella reiterated that Microsoft is focused on increasing productivity because it grows economies and benefits every sector and the whole world at large. “It’s not about hyping tech,” Nadella wrote. “It’s about building technology that truly serves the world.”
More details about the topoconductor
The topoconductor, also called the topological superconductor, creates an entirely new state of matter that is not a solid, liquid, or gas but a topological state. It is a breakthrough because it can be harnessed to produce a better qubit without the tradeoffs existing alternatives require.
According to a new paper published Wednesday in Nature, Microsoft researchers were not only able to create the topological qubit’s exotic quantum properties, but they were also able to accurately measure them, a crucial step for practical computing.
To make it possible, they had to develop new material stacks made up of indium arsenide and aluminum, much of which Microsoft put together atom by atom. They had to coax new quantum particles called Majoranas into existence and take advantage of their unique properties to attain the next level of quantum computing.
Extra care was taken to ensure that the world’s first Topological Core which powers the Majorana 1 is reliable, featuring error resistance at the hardware level to make it more stable.
Commercially important applications will also require trillions of operations on a million qubits, and that is not possible with available options as they rely on fine-tuned analog control of each qubit.
This latest breakthrough is proof that Microsoft’s decision years ago to pursue a topological qubit design which is a high risk, high reward scientific and engineering challenge was the right one. Today, the company has developed a chip with eight topological qubits designed to scale to one million.
It was just last year that Microsoft’s partnership with Quantinuum and Atom Computing yielded the industry’s first reliable quantum computer.
Quantum computers offer important opportunities, particularly considering the prospect of combining AI with new quantum systems powered by larger numbers of reliable qubits. Today, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum offers a suite of integrated solutions allowing customers to leverage AI computing and quantum platforms to advance scientific discovery.
It is important breakthrough but to reach the next level of progress in quantum computing, a quantum architecture that can provide a million qubits or more and reach trillions of fast and reliable operations will be required.
The invention of the topoconductor reduces the timeline required to make that happen within years, not decades, according to Microsoft. Once technological advancements hack quantum mechanics, scientists believe they are essentially getting access to the blueprint of nature, which they can then teach to AI.
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