Microsoft launches new quantum chips and strives to build a practical quantum computer by 2029

On June 3, Microsoft (MSFT.O) announced the launch of an upgraded quantum computing chip and said it is expected to build a commercially practical quantum computer before 2029. The company unveiled its Majorana2 chip at Build2026 on Tuesday. The chip is a follow-up to a previous research device that sparked controversy in the closely related field of quantum computing when it was first unveiled a year ago. Microsoft's new device has 12 qubits-the basic unit of quantum computing, an increase from the eight in the previous generation. But Microsoft said its main achievement is that these qubits last for more than 20 seconds. The company claims that qubits in previous models disappeared in less than 12 milliseconds. In addition, the "Majorana2" also replaced the aluminum connectors of previous models with lead superconductor. "Given this rapid progress, we are accelerating the roadmap for scalable, practical quantum computers," said Chetan Nayak, a Microsoft technical fellow and executive in charge of quantum hardware. "We have cut the timetable in half and the current goal is to achieve this by 2029."