Microsoft unveils Majorana 2 quantum chip and targets commercial systems by 2029

Key facts

• Microsoft has unveiled a new quantum computing chip named Majorana 2, which was redesigned using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for materials science.
• The company aims to develop commercially useful quantum machines by the year 2029, aligning its timeline with rival International Business Machines (IBM).
• Unlike competitors like Google and IBM that use aluminium, Microsoft’s Majorana 2 chip is constructed using lead, resulting in a 1,000-fold performance improvement in certain aspects.
• The quantum computing approach of Microsoft is based on quasiparticles called Majoranas, which the company claims to have observed despite scientific criticism regarding data reproducibility.
• Microsoft has shared its research data extensively with the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to evaluate the feasibility of its quantum systems.