New state of matter powers Microsoft quantum computing chip

Microsoft says its researchers have created a new quantum computer processor that relies on a never-before-seen state of matter. The technological leap--called Majorana 1--represents a major step forward towards an era of powerful quantum computers that unlock currently unachievable advancements across artificial intelligence, medical research, sustainable energy, and many other industries. Since their invention, traditional computers have almost always relied on semiconductor chips that use binary "bits" of information represented as strings of 1's and 0's. While these chips have become increasingly powerful and simultaneously smaller, there is a physical limit to the amount of information that can be stored on this hardware. Quantum computers, by comparison, utilize "qubits" (quantum bits) to exploit the strange properties exhibited by subatomic particles, often at extremely cold temperatures.