Microsoft's quantum leap

A new computer chip takes a different path in the race to develop quantum computers.

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Every day brings a slew of headlines about breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. But there's a powerful, much weirder technology rapidly taking shape: quantum computing.

Quantum has received plenty of hype, but companies like IBM, Google and Microsoft have invested billions in it for good reason. Quantum computers could take on complex calculations that regular computers would take thousands of years to process. Think about modelling the impacts of climate change, designing new drug molecules, and creating more advanced encryption to keep your information safe. These are the things that quantum computers could be tasked with, leaving our classical computers for the regular stuff they handle now.

Recently, I entered an austere laboratory in Redmond, Washington, full of hissing cryogenic cooling machines, cables and computer servers. At its heart was a hefty, vibration-proof cage housing Microsoft's quantum computer. From the outside, it's a boring white dome-shaped fridge. With the cover off, it looks like an elaborate gold and silver chandelier, cooling equipment housing the Majorana 1, a quantum computer chip Microsoft manufactures in the room downstairs.