Microsoft grants DARPA on-site access to Majorana 2 quantum hardware

Microsoft has granted the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) direct, on-site access to its latest quantum computing hardware at a new research center in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District. Previously, DARPA evaluated Microsoft’s systems remotely from locations in Washington and Europe. This new arrangement allows researchers to independently test the hardware, load their own software, and run custom boot sequences to verify the machine’s performance.

The system is powered by Microsoft’s Majorana 2 chip, which utilizes topological qubits. Microsoft claims these qubits are more than 1,000 times more reliable than previous generations, with average lifetimes of approximately 20 seconds and some exceeding one minute. The company has updated its materials, replacing aluminum with lead as the superconductor and using indium arsenide and indium arsenide antimonide for the semiconductor stack.

This collaboration serves as a critical test of whether Microsoft’s Majorana-based approach can transition from laboratory research to commercially viable, scalable quantum computing. Microsoft has set a target to develop a scalable quantum computer by 2029, while DARPA is evaluating various quantum technologies to determine which can produce economically viable systems by 2033.