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.

Microsoft has announced a breakthrough that could lead to the most powerful quantum computers of all time. They created a new chip, called'Majorana 1,' which is powered by a new state of matter called a topological state. This phase of matter is not characterized by the traditional physical properties that define a solid, liquid or gas. Instead, it's defined by its topological properties -- how the material's wavefunctions behave and connect across space. This topological state is created by the chip's topoconductor, a first-of-its-kind material that produces fundamental units of information that serve as the building blocks for quantum computers.