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Microsoft has a new quantum computer – but does it actually work?

Researchers at Microsoft say they have created so-called topological qubits, which would be exceptionally resistant to errors, but their claim has been met with scepticism

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

19 February 2025

Majorana 1, a quantum chip that relies on topological qubits

John Brecher/Microsoft

Microsoft researchers say they have created “topological qubits”, long sought-after components for a radically different kind of quantum computer. This isn’t the first time the firm has made this claim – it attempted to produce these error-proof quantum bits in a similar experiment in 2023, but the results weren’t fully conclusive, raising doubts among colleagues in the field about whether it has fully worked this time.

Topological qubits could solve one of quantum computing’s biggest problems: all…

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