Microsoft officially introduces world’s first quantum chip- Majorana 1 powered by a new Topological Core architecture

Yesterday Microsoft officially unveiled the world’s first quantum chip- Majorana 1. This chip is expected to be scaled up to create quantum computers capable of solving meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years and not decades.

A couple reflections on the quantum computing breakthrough we just announced…

Most of us grew up learning there are three main types of matter that matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Today, that changed.

After a nearly 20 year pursuit, we’ve created an entirely new state of… pic.twitter.com/Vp4sxMHNjc

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) February 19, 2025

This chip is powered by a new Topological Core architecture, that can observe and control Majorana particles to produce more reliable and scalable qubits, which are the building blocks for quantum computers. This new architecture offers a clear path to fit a million qubits on a single chip that can fit in the palm of one’s hand. The qubits created with topoconductors are faster, more reliable, and smaller. They are 1/100th of a millimeter.

The current functionality of this chip is limited to solving mathematical problems- from chemical reactions to molecular interaction and enzyme energies- million qubit machines should be able to solve certain types of problems in chemistry, materials science, and other industries that are impossible for today’s classical computers. Quantum computing could allow engineers, scientists, companies, and others to simply design things right the first time.

Matthias Troyer,a  Microsoft technical official said, “The quantum computer teaches the AI the language of nature so the AI can just tell you the recipe for what you want to make. ”

A new paper published in Nature outlines how Microsoft researchers were able to create topological qubits with exotic quantum properties and also accurately measure them, an essential step for practical computing. The Nature paper marks peer-reviewed confirmation that Microsoft has not only been able to create Majorana particles, which help protect quantum information but can also reliably measure that information from them using microwaves.

Majorana 1 quantum chip contains both qubits as well as surrounding control electronics, can be held in the palm of one’s hand, and fits neatly into a quantum computer that can be easily deployed inside Azure data centers.  The chip does not work alone. It exists in an ecosystem with control logic, a dilution refrigerator that keeps qubits at a temperature much colder than outer space, and a software stack that can integrate with AI and classical computers.

Microsoft’s topoconductor is made of indium arsenide, a material currently used in such applications as infrared detectors and which has special properties. As per Krysta Svore, Microsoft technical fellow, “Ironically, it’s also why we need a quantum computer- because understanding this materials is incredibly hard. With a scaled quantum computer, we will be able to predict materials with even better properties for building the next generation of quantum computers beyond scale. “