Some of the biggest technology firms in America are racing to develop scalable quantum computers, with Google and IBM recognized as two of the leading players.

But in recent days, Microsoft and Amazon have entered the fray with new quantum chips that could significantly accelerate progress.

Amazon and Microsoft Enter Quantum Chip Race

While IBM has been in the quantum research game for decades, the digital technology giants are a more recent arrival.

Microsoft was the first to open a quantum computing lab in 2005, followed a year later by Google. Latecomer Amazon Quantum was formed in 2019.

Until recently, however, only Google had developed its own hardware.

That changed on Feb. 19, when Microsoft unveiled Majorana 1—a quantum processor powered by the world’s first topoconductor.

The topoconductor, or topological superconductor, “is a special category of material that can create an entirely new state of matter,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “Not a solid, liquid or gas but a topological state.”

A week later on Feb. 27, Amazon announced Ocelot, a prototype quantum chip that advances hardware efficiency.

While Microsoft’s breakthrough was in the realm of material science, Amazon proposed a novel approach to error correction that could help bridge the gap between current quantum error rates and those needed to make the technology functionally viable.

New Chips Bring Quantum Future Into View

Both Amazon and Microsoft billed their latest chips as milestones in the development of useful quantum computers.

Microsoft expects Majorana 1 will help “realize quantum computers capable of solving meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades.”

Meanwhile, Amazon stated that Ocelot is “helping bring closer the age of practical quantum computing.”

Diverse Approaches Fuel Quantum Progress

The latest announcements from Amazon and Microsoft highlight the broad spectrum of innovation within quantum hardware development.

Unlike classical computing, where semiconductor advancements follow a predictable path of transistor miniaturization, quantum computing is still in its experimental phase, with multiple competing approaches vying for dominance.

IBM and Google continue to refine their superconducting qubit designs, which rely on cryogenic environments to maintain quantum coherence.

Microsoft, by contrast, is betting on topological qubits, a fundamentally different method that could offer greater stability.

Amazon’s Ocelot advances an alternative framework for reducing error rates, a critical step toward practical quantum applications.

These varied approaches underscore the fact that no single pathway to quantum advantage has emerged.

Instead, each new development contributes to the field, expanding the boundaries of what is possible and increasing the likelihood of a breakthrough.

https://www.ccn.com/news/technology/amazon-microsoft-big-tech-quantum-chips/