Microsoft (MS) unveiled the next-generation Quantum Computing artificial intelligence (AI) chip "Majorana 2." MS plans to introduce a quantum computer commercially usable by 2029 based on this.
On the 2nd (local time), at its annual developer conference Build held at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, the United States, MS unveiled the Quantum Computing chip "Majorana 2," which raised the average Qubit lifetime to about 20 seconds compared with the previous product. It is the successor to last year's quantum chip "Majorana 1."
Majorana 2 is characterized by using a different material from existing quantum chips. Rival IBM uses aluminum-based superconducting wiring, while MS used lead. With help from its self-developed AI science tool, MS applied the new material and said as a result the stability of Majorana 2 improved 1,000 times over the previous generation.
An MS official said, "The reason we had not made chips using lead until now is that a special process is required to implement it," and added, "The biggest technical challenge is finding a way to apply lead, which has the property of dissolving in water, stably in the chip manufacturing process so it is not lost, and we have found that method."
The company announced it would realize a scalable quantum computer in three years, the same target timeframe as rival IBM. IBM, after saying last month it would invest $10 billion in the quantum computing business, spun off a company for quantum chip development.
However, major foreign media outlets including Reuters and the BBC reported that MS is not disclosing detailed technical specifications of the new quantum chip, citing trade secrets, making it impossible for outsiders to verify the company's claims.