Microsoft has revealed the development of a completely new quantum computer, built around its Majorana 1 chip. This innovative system could allow for quantum computers with up to one million qubits within a single refrigerator.

A key feature of this breakthrough is the creation of a new state of matter: a topological superconductor. This advance, the culmination of 19 years of research, could make commercially viable quantum computers a reality within five years.

“We will have a fault-tolerant quantum computer in years, not decades,” said Dr Chetan Nayak, leader of Microsoft’s quantum hardware programme, who has dedicated nearly two decades to this challenge.