Microsoft on Wednesday announced its first quantum computing chip, called the Majorana 1, heralding its entry into an exciting new computing realm. Microsoft stock rose on the news.
With the introduction, Microsoft officially joins Alphabet's Google, IBM and others in the race to develop a commercially viable quantum computer.
In a blog post, Microsoft said its Majorana 1 is powered by a new Topological Core architecture that will carve a new path for quantum computing.
"It leverages the world's first topoconductor, a breakthrough type of material which can observe and control Majorana particles to produce more reliable and scalable qubits, which are the building blocks for quantum computers," the company said.
Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow, said his team wanted to invent "the transistor for the quantum age."
Microsoft Stock Rises
On the stock market today, Microsoft stock rose 1.3% to close at 414.77.
The new architecture used to develop the Majorana 1 processor offers a clear path to fit a million qubits on a single chip that can fit in the palm of one's hand, Microsoft said. A million qubits is considered the threshold for quantum computers to deliver transformative, real-world solutions in areas such as materials science and medicine.
Today, the company has placed eight topological qubits on a chip designed to scale to one million.
Microsoft believes the million-qubit goal is now years, not decades, away. Majorana 1 is the result of 20 years of research into quantum computing, the company said.
Microsoft stock is in the IBD Long-Term Leaders Portfolio.
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