Microsoft has also developed the chip through a partnership with quantum computing firms Quantinuum and Atom Computing, as well as the company’ s Azure Quantum platform that offers integrated solutions that combine AI, high-performance computing and quantum systems.
The making of Majorana 1 The topoconductor material creates a quantum state that produces stable qubits which can be digitally controlled.
The breakthrough required developing a materials stack made of indium arsenide and aluminium, which Microsoft designed at the atomic level – with the aim of creating Majorana particles and utilising their properties for quantum computing.
As a result, the Majorana 1 chip incorporates error resistance at the hardware level and the design enables qubits to be controlled digitally, which Microsoft says simplifies quantum computing operations.
“ From the start we wanted to make a quantum computer for commercial impact, not just thought leadership,” says Matthias Troyer, Microsoft Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Quantum.
“ We knew we needed a new qubit. We knew we had to scale.”
144 April 2025