- DARPA will now test Microsoft’s controversial quantum hardware inside a dedicated Maryland facility
- Majorana 2 uses a different approach to tackle quantum computing’s stubborn error problem
- Microsoft is putting its topological quantum claims under independent government scrutiny
Microsoft has opened a 15,000 square foot quantum research center inside the University of Maryland’s Discovery District, a year after the project was first announced.
The facility gives the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) physical access to Microsoft’s latest topological quantum system for independent testing.
Previously, DARPA and other outside researchers could only test Microsoft’s hardware through cloud-based remote access, making this the first time an external agency will evaluate its topological hardware on-site.
DARPA gets hands-on access to Majorana 2
The system installed for testing includes qubits built on Majorana 2, Microsoft’s second-generation topological quantum computing chip.
Topological qubits are designed to reduce the burden of quantum error correction compared with other existing qubit approaches currently in use.
Quantum computers remain highly sensitive to environmental noise, meaning useful systems must detect and correct errors repeatedly while calculations are underway.
Majorana 2’s material stack replaces aluminum with lead, a substitution Microsoft says improves overall performance and stability.
The chip has drawn criticism from some scientists, who remained skeptical of Microsoft’s earlier performance claims, but Microsoft says the delivery to DARPA may help address that skepticism by opening its hardware to an outside testing team which brings expertise across hardware, control systems, software, and applications, according to the company.
Microsoft describes independent access as a necessary step toward assessing whether its approach can produce an economically relevant quantum computer.
The quantum computing industry does not have a broadly useful, fault-tolerant machine that consistently outperforms classical computers on commercially important work.
DARPA’s evaluation falls under the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing program, part of its broader Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
That wider initiative aims to determine whether competing quantum computing approaches can produce commercially useful machines by 2033.
“DARPA is an ideal partner for our work because its test and evaluation team brings expertise across the computing stack,” Microsoft said in a blog post.
Beyond the DARPA testing area, the center includes a hands-on quantum hardware makerspace built for students, researchers, and career changers entering the field.
Seven companies have joined this effort so far, including AMD, Intel, Bluefors, IQM, Riverlane, Quantum Motion, and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Fermilab’s involvement also extends into a collaboration exploring how its Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit could support broader quantum education efforts.
In the makerspace, visitors will assemble small but functional quantum systems using parts sourced from several leading hardware and computing companies.
Microsoft credits Maryland’s Capital of Quantum Initiative, led by Governor Wes Moore, with funding the renovation of the original Discovery Center building.
The Maryland facility will also let prospective partners test how their own technologies work with Microsoft’s broader quantum platform.
Hardware engineers can use the space to integrate machines or components, while developers explore possible applications.
Microsoft’s strategy centers on supporting multiple quantum hardware types through one shared software and infrastructure layer.
