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Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, a groundbreaking quantum chip that introduces a more stable and scalable approach to quantum computing.

What is Microsoft’s Majorana 1 Chip?

Majorana 1 is Microsoft’s latest quantum processor that introduces a new type of stable and scalable qubit based on Majorana fermions.
Microsoft believes that this breakthrough could enable practical quantum computing by 2027-29.
Majorana Fermions:
- First theorized by Ettore Majorana in 1937.
- Exotic particles that act as their own antiparticles.
- Microsoft engineered them using topological conductors, making qubits more stable and resistant to errors.

Uses topological qubits, which require less error correction compared to traditional superconducting qubits.
More scalable, allowing the quantum chip to reach up to 1 million qubits in the future.
Built from indium arsenide-aluminum topo-conductors, unlike conventional silicon-based quantum chips.
Operates at near absolute zero temperature, tuned with magnetic fields to create a stable quantum environment.
Currently an 8-qubit chip, but designed with an architecture that supports significant expansion.

Quantum computing is a new approach to computation based on the principles of quantum mechanics that allows computers to process information exponentially faster than classical computers.
Unlike classical computers that use binary bits (0 or 1), quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in both 0 and 1 simultaneously (superposition).
Key Principles of Quantum Computing:
- Superposition: Qubits exist in multiple states at once.
- Entanglement: –Qubits can be linked, meaning a change in one affects the other instantly.
- Quantum Tunneling: Qubits can pass through energy barriers.
- Quantum Interference: Enhances correct probabilities while canceling out incorrect ones.
Quantum computers solve complex problems that are impossible for classical computers, such as simulating molecules, optimizing logistics, and advancing AI.

[2022] Which one of the following is the context in which the term “qubit” is mentioned?

(a) Cloud Services
(b) Quantum Computing
(c) Visible Light Communication Technologies
(d) Wireless Communication Technologies