Microsoft Reveals Majorana 2 Quantum Chip With 1,000x Greater Reliability, Targeting 2029 Deployment

According to Microsoft's announcement at its Build conference on Tuesday, the company unveiled Majorana 2, a new topological quantum chip that is 1,000 times more reliable than its predecessor, with average qubit lifetimes of 20 seconds and some lasting as long as one minute. Microsoft said the chip replaces the aluminum-based design of Majorana 1 with a lead-based topological superconductor, substantially improving reliability and speed, and expects to achieve scalable quantum computing by 2029.

Microsoft's Discovery platform and agentic AI tools played a key role in accelerating research, materials discovery, and manufacturing improvements. The AI agents automated measurements and voltage adjustments while analyzing decades of quantum research to identify promising materials and uncover manufacturing flaws. The breakthrough comes amid growing concerns about "Q-Day," when quantum computers could become powerful enough to break modern cryptography, with an estimated $461 billion in Bitcoin at risk due to exposed public keys.