Microsoft might be going all in on generative AI with projects like Copilot, Bing Chat, and others. However, the company has also been conducting research into quantum computing, which could revolutionize the entire computing field.
In a blog post, Microsoft outlined its roadmap toward creating a quantum computer. It states that it has already achieved the first of these milestones, which is the creation and control of the quasiparticles called Majoranas. Microsoft says this is the first step in making a hardware-protected qubit (quantum bit) which is the basic part of a quantum computer.
Microsoft states:
With this achievement, we’re well on our way to engineering a new hardware-protected qubit. With it, we can then engineer reliable logical qubits to reach the Resilient Level and then progress to reach Scale.
Since qubits can be sensitive to even the smallest of outside influences, creating a quantum computer that can make accurate results is tricky. Microsoft says it has come up with a new measurement for these kinds of computers called the reliable Quantum Operations Per Second (rQOPS). Microsoft says:
It considers the full system performance, as opposed to just qubit performance, so there is an assurance that an algorithm will run correctly.
Our industry is yet to transition from the NISQ era and therefore, today’s quantum computers are all at Level 1 with a rQOPS of zero. The first quantum supercomputer will need at least 1 million rQOPS and will scale to more than 1 billion to solve impactful chemistry and materials science problems.
In a chat with TechCrunch, Microsoft"s VP of advanced quantum development Krysta Svore stated that it will take less than 10 years to hit the final part of the company"s quantum computing roadmap. In the meantime other companies, including Microsoft"s biggest rival Google, are also trying to achieve their own quantum supercomputer that might beat Microsoft"s efforts.