Microsoft lifted the veil this Wednesday, February 19 on Majorana 1, its new quantum chip, which is based on a new state of matter. Of very complex design, this innovation could change the situation in many areas, and in particular that of AI. Let’s take stock.
Major progress
In a press release published for the occasion, the tech giant therefore announces the design of a “Topological superconductor”a material that is neither solid, liquid, nor gaseous. It is therefore from this new topological architecture built atom by atom that the Redmond firm designed this Majorana 1 processor.
Microsoft believes that it constitutes “A clear path to integrate a million qubits on a single chip that can hold in the palm of the hand. »» On X (Twitter), CEO Satya Nadella wanted to be enthusiastic about what he describes as “breakthrough”:
After almost 20 years of research, we have created a brand new matter of material, unlocked by a new class of materials, the topoconductors, which allow a fundamental jump in IT. It feeds Majorana 1, the first quantum treatment unit built on a topological heart. We believe that this breakthrough will allow us to create a really significant quantum computer not in a few decades, as some have predicted, but in a few years.
This advance is a kind of revolution according to technological society:
This is a necessary threshold for quantum computers to provide transformative and concrete solutions, such as the decomposition of harmless by-products or the invention of self-repairing materials for construction, manufacturing or care health. All current computers in the world running together cannot do what a quantum computer of a million qubits will be able to do.
Investors were convinced by this announcement, since Microsoft’s action took off 1.25 % shortly after this presentation.
What quantum computer could allow
As a reminder, quantum computer science opens up huge possibilities thanks to the exponential computing power. This capacity would allow him to solve problems in a few hours that would take years (even millennia) to a traditional computer.
This result from potential advances in the fields of chemistry, medicine, but also, as Microsoft hopes, in terms of artificial intelligence. These developments are also scary and could generate threats of cybersecurity or even jeopardize the cryptocurrency sector.
