Microsoft and Quantum claim advances in quantum computing

The move comes as technology companies including Microsoft, Alphabet Inc.'s Google (GOOGL.O), and IBM (IBM.N) hope to compete with both rivals. It is the latest in the race to perfect quantum computing. It leverages quantum mechanics to develop machines that promise much faster speeds than traditional silicon-based computers. These quantum machines can perform scientific calculations that would take millions of years to perform using today's classical computers.

But the basic units of quantum computers, called "qubits," are fast but sensitive, and even the slightest disturbance to a quantum computer can cause data errors. To solve this problem, quantum researchers often build more physical qubits than necessary and use error correction techniques to obtain a smaller number of reliable and useful qubits.

Microsoft and Quantinuum have announced a breakthrough in this area. Microsoft applied the error correction algorithm it described to Quantinuum's physical qubits, resulting in approximately 4 reliable qubits out of 30 physical qubits.

Jason Zander, Microsoft's executive vice president of strategic mission and technology, said the company believes this is the highest rate of reliable qubits from a quantum chip demonstrated to date.

"We have performed more than 14,000 individual experiments without a single error, which is up to 800 times better than anything previously known," Zander told Reuters. stated in an interview.

Microsoft said it plans to make this technology available to its cloud computing customers in the coming months.

Quantum researchers at Quantinuum and its competitors often cite around 100 reliable qubits as the number needed to beat traditional supercomputers. Neither Microsoft nor Quantinuum said Wednesday how many more years it will take to use the new technology to reach a reliable 100 qubits.

However, Quantinuum's chief product officer Ilyas Khan said, "The current view is that he will be cut back for at least two years if not more."