Microsoft dismisses quantum computing skepticism: "There is a century-old scientific process established by the American Physical Society for resolving disputes"

In February, Microsoft shared some interesting insights about the significant headway it had made in the quantum computing space, unveiling a new chip called the Majorana 1 processor.

The launch of the processor potentially shipped with the decipher key to most of the world's problems. While quantum computing can be a difficult topic to wrap your head around, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella indicated that the next-gen chip presented new opportunities and possibilities in the space:

"We believe this breakthrough will allow us to create a truly meaningful quantum computer not in decades, as some have predicted, but in years."

During its launch, Microsoft touted the chip as "the world’s first topoconductor, a breakthrough type of material which can observe and control Majorana particles to produce more reliable and scalable qubits, which are the building blocks for quantum computers."

For context, the chip can reportedly power future quantum computers that pack a million qubits. Majorana particles themselves were first theorized in 1937, depicting the significant amount of effort, resources, and time invested to unlock such a curious feat.

However, Microsoft indicated that it might have made a leap forward, highlighting that it had the know-how to incorporate the particles in a device featuring up to eight topological qubits.

Microsoft's progress in quantum computing has been received with mixed feelings. According to PCGamer, some scientists have expressed concerns about the company's paper, citing that it lacks important details, including University of Pittsburgh Physics Professor Sergey Frolov, who claims Microsoft's Majorana chip is essentially a fraudulent project (via The Register).

Frolov's sentiments were seemingly echoed by Henry Legg, a lecturer in theoretical physics at the University of St Andrews in the UK, who indicated Microsoft's reported breakthrough in the category "is not reliable and must be revisited."

Microsoft is slated to back up its claims and success in quantum computing next week at an American Physical Society (APS) meeting in California. Researcher Chetan Nayak has backed up Microsoft's claims, indicating that the paper highlighting the breakthrough was submitted in March 2024 and published this year in February.

Is Microsoft's reported quantum computing breakthrough all glitters?

To that end, Microsoft's breakthrough raises several critical issues, including its topological claims that rely on a paper published in 2023 that uses a different measurement range.

The code used in the highlighted paper differs from the one used by Microsoft. It's also worth noting that Microsoft altered the topological definition.

However, Microsoft researcher Nayak claims the highlighted concerns aren't enough to dispute the company's breakthrough. The researcher argues that there is no "difference between our described protocol and the implemented code." He indicated that ranges are based on the initial scan described, and that the company always analyzes the full data.

While responding to theoretical Physics lecturer Legg's pre-print critique of Microsoft's breakthrough, Nayak indicated:

"There is a century-old scientific process established by the American Physical Society for resolving disputes. Comments and author responses are reviewed by referees in the journal and eventually published for the benefit of readers. We have not been contacted by the PRB [Physical Review B] editors to respond to Legg's comment. When we are, we will provide an official response."

It'll be interesting to see how things pan out, especially if Microsoft sheds more light about its discovery, potentially leading to real-life applications.