Microsoft Says Majorana 1 Quantum Chip is Breakthrough; 1 Million Qubits Possible

Okay, this might get a bit geeky, but I will try not to go too geeky.

Qubits are the way we measure the power of a quantum computer chip.

One million qubits is the holy grail to solving previously unsolvable problems.

Microsoft’s new quantum chip, the Majorana 1 is a breakthrough, they say, to getting to that point.

Historically, quantum computers have been extremely difficult to control and highly error prone. Microsoft CLAIMS they have solved that problem too.

This chip can only hold 8 qubits, but they claim they have a path to one million. We shall see, of course. The chip is also really small; it can fit in your hand. Another breakthrough.

Earlier this year the Nvidia said that time (large scale quantum computing) was two decades away. Google says it is only 5 years away. IBM says that large scale quantum computing will happen by 2033.

No matter the exact year, it is pretty soon, which is very exciting.

And scary, because when that happens, all of that encrypted data that the Chinese – and the NSA – have been collecting for years will suddenly become very unencryptable at virtually zero incremental cost. Just saying.

Stay tuned.

Credit: Cybernews