According to The New York Times, Microsoft has taken a significant step in the race towards quantum computing, thus raising the stakes in the upcoming major technological competition, surpassing the current race for artificial intelligence.
Since the 1980s, scientists have been working on creating a quantum computer, a machine capable of harnessing the strange and powerful behavior of subatomic particles or ultracold objects. The contest gained more momentum last December, when Google unveiled an experimental quantum computer that performed a calculation in just five minutes, a task that most supercomputers could not complete even in 10 septillion years, beyond the age of the known universe.
Today, Microsoft announced a major breakthrough: the creation of a new state of matter in its quest to manufacture a powerful machine, that is, a quantum computer. Scientists at the company managed to construct what is known as a "topological qubit," based on this new phase of physical existence, which could be used to tackle large-scale mathematical, scientific, and technological problems.
In the framework of its research, Microsoft designed several topological qubits within a new type of computational chip that combines the advantages of the semiconductors used in classical computers with the superconductors typically employed in the manufacturing of quantum computers.
According to the report, Microsoft's quantum technology could represent a significant leap compared to the approaches being developed by Google, marking a relevant milestone in the evolution of quantum computing towards practical applications in various fields such as battery development, medicine, and artificial intelligence.
