The ReadJune 24, 2026via The Verge Tech
A new paper argues Microsoft exaggerated its quantum claims a year ago
Why it matters
A Nature-published critique challenges Microsoft's claims about its Majorana topological qubits, raising questions about the validity of the company's quantum computing roadmap and the credibility of its recent chip announcements. This matters because enterprise leaders are making billion-dollar infrastructure bets on quantum timelines.
Key signals
- Nature peer-reviewed critique published June 2026
- Targets Microsoft's Majorana 1 chip announced February 2025
- Challenges topological qubit technology claims
- Henry Legg (University of St Andrews) reanalyzed Microsoft data
- Majorana 2 announced at Build (June 2026)
- Critique questions whether breakthrough claims were justified
The hook
Microsoft's quantum 'breakthrough' just got peer-reviewed into question. Here's what the data actually shows.
Microsoft’s Majorana 1 processor. | Image: Microsoft
A critique published in Nature Wednesday calls the basic technology behind Microsoft's "breakthrough" quantum computing chip the Majorana 1 into question. Microsoft unveiled the chip in February 2025 and said it featured a brand-new technology known as a topological qubit. Topological qubits, they said, would be the "building blocks" for their future quantum computer. Microsoft announced the next generation chip Majorana 2 at Build earlier this month.
But in a peer-reviewed article, Henry Legg, a physicist at the University of St Andrews, reanalyzed Microsoft's data on their device and argued that the company's researchers did not conclusi …
Read the full story at The Verge.