Microsoft claims new quantum chip 1,000 times better than before

BBC News · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Jun 02, 2026 · 956 words · By Zoe Kleinman

Quantum Computing Advancement Technological Race Corporate Credibility vs Scientific Rigor

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What to know about Quantum Computing Advancement

Microsoft says new quantum chip 1,000 times more reliable than predecessor Microsoft says its new quantum chip is vastly more reliable than its previous version, paving the way for a quantum computer solving commercially useful problems within three years.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

At the heart of quantum computing are qubits, which offer the promise of answering questions that defeat today's machines, but are notoriously delicate and unstable.

Common ground

Microsoft says the qubits on Majorana 2, its new chip, survive for an average of 20 seconds, rather than the milliseconds of Majorana 1.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Quantum Computing Advancement story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Microsoft says its new quantum chip is vastly more reliable than its previous version?
How does this story connect Quantum Computing Advancement with Technological Race over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4p7gyvp52o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule Pending 1

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “Microsoft says its new quantum chip is vastly more reliable than its previous version”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that Microsoft claims its Majorana 2 chip is 1,000 times more reliable than its predecessor.

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web search NEUTRAL — Microsoft says its new Majorana 2 quantum chip is 1,000 times more reliable than its predecessor, with qubits lasting about 20 seconds instead of milliseconds, and claims it could have a commercially …
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/06/03/005253/microsof…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Microsoft claims its new Majorana 2 quantum chip is 1,000x more reliable, with qubits surviving 20 seconds instead of milliseconds. The company says this innovation could deliver commercially viable q…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rajchanian_microsoft-claims-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Majorana 2 chip. Microsoft's claims it has made major breakthroughs in quantum computing have been questioned by a UK-based physicist, in a paper published by the science journal Nature.Microsoft …
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c05y9pl3ejmo

help

Claim 2: “a paper its published alongside the announcement has not been peer reviewed”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the peer-review status of the paper published with the Majorana 2 announcement.

verified

Claim 3: “Microsoft has spent 20 years pursuing an approach to quantum computing known as "topological".”

VERIFIED

A web search result from February 19, 2025, explicitly mentions Microsoft's '20-year quest to make topological quantum bits'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company became influential in the rise of personal computers through software like Windo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Microsoft Copilot is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Microsoft AI, a division of Microsoft. Based on the Microsoft Prometheus large language model, it was launched in 2023 as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Copilot

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Microsoft Forms (formerly Office 365 Forms) is an online survey creator, part of Microsoft 365.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Forms

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 4: “Microsoft is part of the final stage of a quantum development programme run by the US defence research agency Darpa”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a DARPA quantum development program involving Microsoft.

verified

Claim 5: “The firm's approach to this is based on exploiting the properties of a so-called quasi-particle, which had existed only in theory, since it was first predicted in the 1930s by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms that Majorana fermions were hypothesized by Ettore Majorana in 1937 (the 1930s) and that Microsoft's device attempts to use them.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics is a quarterly peer-reviewed open access scientific journal that was established in 2003. It covers all aspects of theoretical physics. The editors-in-chi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Journal_of_Theoreti…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ettore Majorana ( MY-ə-RAH-nə, Italian: [ˈɛttore majoˈraːna]; 5 August 1906 – disappeared 25 March 1938) was an Italian theoretical physicist who worked on neutrino masses. The Majorana equation, Majo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ettore_Majorana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In particle physics a Majorana fermion () or Majorana particle is a fermion that is its own antiparticle. They were hypothesised by Ettore Majorana in 1937. The term is sometimes used in opposition to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorana_fermion

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “It was forced to retract a paper published in the journal Nature in 2018 in which it claimed to have found evidence for the Majorana.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including IEEE Spectrum and other web results, confirm that Microsoft retracted a 2018 Nature paper regarding evidence for Majorana quasi-particles.

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web search NEUTRAL — Despite the 2018 controversy, Microsoft and its collaborators have continued refining their approach. The recent announcement of the "Majorana 1" chip in 2025 presents experimental evidence supporting…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/microsoft-majorana-hype-2018-…

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web search NEUTRAL — In a 2018 study in Nature, Microsoft-backed scientists claimed they found strong evidence of these quasiparticles within a special kind of superconductor, a discovery they suggested could pave the way…
https://spectrum.ieee.org/majorana-microsoft-backed-quantum-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Microsoft retracted Majorana-related papers in both 2018 and 2021. The reasons cited included technical errors and data issues. In June 2026, the company announced the Majorana 2 chip, an upgraded suc…
https://cryptobriefing.com/microsoft-quantum-computing-major…

verified

Claim 7: “its first Majorana chip was released in 2025.”

VERIFIED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and news articles, confirm the Majorana 1 chip was announced/released in February 2025.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In its February 2025 announcement, Microsoft claimed that the Majorana 1 represents progress in its long-running project to create a quantum computer based ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorana_1

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 19, 2025 ... Microsoft today introduced Majorana 1, the world's first quantum chip powered by a new Topological Core architecture that it expects will ...
https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/innovation/micros…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 19, 2025 ... Majorana 1 from Microsoft is the world's first Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) built with a topoconductor. Discover more.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/quantum/2025/02/19/mi…

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Claim 8: “Microsoft says the qubits on Majorana 2, its new chip, survive for an average of 20 seconds, rather than the milliseconds of Majorana 1.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources report that Microsoft claims Majorana 2 qubits survive for an average of 20 seconds, compared to milliseconds for Majorana 1.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 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…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorana_1

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The second generation of the Majorana chip is based on the same principles as the first but is more effective in part because the scientists replaced aluminium with lead as a superconductor.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “the new chip is 1,000 times more reliable”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources explicitly state that Microsoft claims the new chip is 1,000 times more reliable.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “the current chip, Alam said, has 12 [qubits].”

DISPUTED

The claim states the current chip has 12 qubits, but the Wikipedia entry for Majorana 1 explicitly states the device can fit eight qubits.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager software system from Microsoft, available as a part of the Microsoft 365 software suite. Primarily popular as an email client for businesses, Outloo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Outlook

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.