Microsoft may be about to achieve a significant breakthrough in the area of quantum computers. The company has now introduced its new “Majorana 1” chip to open a completely new development path.
Scalability brings risks
Success carries its risks: With the new topological quantum computing, which forms the basis for development, Microsoft could not only take the technological leadership in this area. Experts also see this a worrying downside – the current encryption methods could be worthless in the foreseeable future. The key to the technological leap lies in a new, topological material that Microsoft has developed.
This enables a particularly stable form of quantum computing and a scaling to one million quBITs. While this promises great progress in science and industry, it is also a massive threat to cyber security. Today’s encryption methods are based on the fact that classic computers are not powerful enough to crack them. However, a quantum computer with millions of qubits would overcome this barrier Mühlos. Majorana 1: Microsoft shows advanced quantum chip
Microsoft’s research is risky, but a study recently published in the Nature journal confirms that the company has successfully generated and measured exotic quantum states. Microsoft already has a chip with eight qubits that is prepared for a million to scaling. In addition, the company was selected by the US DARPA for the final phase of the “US2QC” program, which aims to develop the first error-resistant quantum computer.
Power for research
The consequences could be serious: from online banking to secret service encryption, numerous systems are based on safety standards that could soon become obsolete through quantum computing. Microsoft is already working with companies such as Quantinuum and Atom Computing to further accelerate quantum research, and with “Azure Quantum” offers a platform for quantum computing tools.
However, if a system is realized with one million qubits, there is a risk of a fundamental risk to global digital security. Microsoft emphasizes that technology should primarily benefit humanity, for example through progress in material research, environmental technologies and medicine. On the other hand, it is also not the case that cryptography of development is completely powerless. There are now definitely encryption methods that can also resist a strong quantum computer – but their introduction would require a massive conversion of the digital security architecture and would be very complex and expensive.
