After 17 years of research, Microsoft has finally developed the Majorana 1 chip, its first quantum computing processor based on a brand-new material and architecture, reports The Verge. At the heart of a quantum computer are quantum bits (qubits),

Majorana 1 relies on ‘topological superconductivity,’ a never-before-seen theoretical form of matter.

Microsoft says it's made a major breakthrough in quantum computing capabilities with the Majorana 1, its first quantum chip, and the first of its kind to be powered by what are called topological qubits.