Microsoft unveiled a new quantum computing chip, Majorana 1, claiming quantum computing is “years, not decades” away.
Significance of Quantum Computing:
Can perform complex calculations that would take classical computers millions of years.
Potential applications in medicine, chemistry, and aerospace.
Challenges in Quantum Computing:
Qubits (quantum bits) are fast but highly error-prone.
Microsoft claims Majorana 1 is less error-prone than competing designs.
Development & Basis of Majorana 1:
Nearly two decades in development.
Based on Majorana fermions, exotic subatomic particles theorized in the 1930s.
Expert Reactions:
Harvard physicist Philip Kim called it an “exciting development”.
Some independent experts raised concerns about the lack of conclusive proof that Majorana 1 works as claimed.
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