Majorana 1

Majorana 1 is a quantum computing processor developed by Microsoft. It uses topological superconductors in an attempt to enable topological quantum computing, which is designed to offer enhanced error robustness compared with conventional quantum computing hardware. It is the first device produced by Microsoft intended for use in quantum computing. It is an indium arsenide-aluminium hybrid device that admits superconductivity at low temperatures. Microsoft claims that it shows some signals of hosting boundary Majorana zero modes. The device can fit eight qubits. Majorana zero modes, if confirmed, could have potential application to making topological qubits, and eventually large-scale topological quantum computers. In its February 2025 announcement, Microsoft claimed that the Majorana 1 represents progress in its long-running project to create a quantum computer based on topological qubits. A follow-up device Majorana 2 was released in 2026. Both Majorana 1 and Majorana 2 have generated both excitement and skepticism within the scientific community, in the absence of definitive public evidence that the devices exhibits Majorana zero modes.