Microsoft has introduced it’s new chip, Majorana 1, that it claims brings quantum computing within reach in "years, not decades."

It is the world’s first quantum chip powered by a new Topological Core architecture.

These claims align with similar ones from Google and IBM in suggesting that a major shift in computing technology is closer than previously thought.

Quantum computing has the potential to perform calculations that would take conventional computers millions of years, unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, chemistry, and other fields where the vast number of molecular combinations overwhelms classical systems.

However, quantum computers also pose a risk to cybersecurity, as their ability to break encryption methods could render current security systems obsolete.

One of the biggest hurdles in quantum computing is the qubit, the quantum equivalent of a classical bit.

While qubits operate at incredible speeds, they are notoriously difficult to control and prone to errors.

“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,” said Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow. 

“We have actually worked out a path to a million.”

Microsoft claims its newly developed Majorana 1 chip is more resistant to errors than competing designs.

However, the chip unveiled yesterday contains fewer qubits than those from Google and IBM.