Eighteen months after its first quantum breakthrough, Microsoft reveals Majorana 2. The quantum processor is up to a thousand times more reliable than the previous generation. A major step toward the first scalable quantum computer?
During Build 2026, Microsoft showcased Majorana 2. The new quantum processor is intended to bring the breakthrough of quantum computing one step closer. Majorana 2 is the direct successor to Majorana 1. While Majorana 1 required seventeen years of research, Microsoft is rolling out the second generation just eighteen months later.
Microsoft claims that Majorana 2 could herald a new major breakthrough toward scalable and practical quantum computers. The processor significantly increases the reliability and lifespan of qubits. “How far along are we compared to last year? We are 1,000 times better,” writes Microsoft quantum researcher Chetan Nayak in a blog post.
1,000 times more stable
The higher stability is a result of both technological and material improvements. Like Majorana 1, Majorana 2 utilizes topological qubits. In this type of qubit, information is distributed across two or more Majorana particles, named after physicist Ettore Majorana who gave his name to the particle. This parity makes the qubits more resistant to external elements.
For Majorana 1, Microsoft developed a topoconductor to control the unique Majorana particles, manufactured from aluminum and indium arsenide. For Majorana 2, Microsoft replaced the aluminum with lead to protect the qubits even better against environmental noise and errors.
This intervention increases the ‘topological gap’, or the lifespan of each qubit. Qubits lasted an average of twelve seconds in the aluminum-based Majorana 1 processor, whereas in Majorana 2, this has been increased to twenty seconds or even a minute. This results in a 1,000-fold improvement in stability, Microsoft states.
With the help of AI
It took Microsoft seventeen years to develop Majorana 1, but after eighteen months, it already has a superior successor ready. Microsoft researchers made intensive use of AI to accelerate the research and development process. AI agents helped optimize the manufacturing process and analyze years of research data.
Microsoft is also eagerly using the announcement of Majorana 2 to promote its new Discovery app, an AI-powered platform for scientific research and engineering. The app is available to Microsoft customers starting today.
First quantum computer in 2029
With Majorana 2, quantum research takes another giant leap forward, Microsoft claims. The processor demonstrates that fewer qubits are needed, and they behave more predictably. These are precisely two obstacles that quantum computers often run into today. Microsoft is convinced that the first scalable quantum computer will be possible before the end of the decade.
Microsoft is not alone in that prediction: Google has also moved up its ‘quantum deadline’ to 2029. Although the arrival of quantum computers has been ‘just a few years away’ for decades, recent breakthroughs suggest it may finally be within reach.