MS Also Unveils Quantum Chip... Korea Falling Behind

Competition among overseas big tech companies in quantum computing is fierce. As American and Chinese companies continuously reveal advancements in quantum computing research, the gap with Korea appears to be widening.

Microsoft's quantum computer chip 'Majorana1'. Photo by Microsoft

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On the 19th (local time), Microsoft (MS) announced that it has developed a quantum computer chip that overcomes major obstacles to the commercialization of quantum computers, such as quantum errors and integration density limits. The chip, called ‘Majorana 1,’ consists of 8 qubits. A qubit is the minimum unit of information in a quantum computer.

Although the number is small compared to the 1,000 qubits previously introduced by IBM, MS claims that it has solved the drawbacks of existing superconducting quantum chips, which are extremely sensitive to external environmental changes and require error correction as errors increase with repeated calculations. MS expects that it can integrate one million qubits and even forecasts that the quantum computer era could be realized within a few years. MS went as far as to compare the invention of Majorana 1 to the development of the transistor that opened the computer era.

Topological qubits are distinguished from superconducting qubits that operate at absolute zero temperature (-273 degrees Celsius), where electricity can flow without resistance. This is because they implement a natural error protection mechanism by utilizing the new material property called topological conductor. Topological qubits are known to have many advantages in error correction.

There are also negative opinions about this announcement. The international academic journal Nature reported that some researchers maintain a skeptical view of MS’s announcement. This is because MS, trailing behind Google and IBM, made a rushed announcement without disclosing specific theoretical foundations. An industry insider said, "In the overseas quantum community, there are somewhat extreme opinions that this announcement is a fraud."

Regardless of the controversy, one clear fact is that overseas companies are actively investing in quantum technology. Google and IBM have long been dedicated to developing quantum computers based on superconducting qubit technology. While IBM opened the era of 1,000 qubits, Google heated up the quantum industry last December by announcing the ‘Willow’ chip, which can complete calculations that would take a supercomputer a billion years in just five minutes. Amazon, the leader in cloud services, and Nvidia, which monopolizes GPUs for AI development, are also actively investing in quantum technology.

Chinese quantum company Origin Quantum unveiled the 72-qubit superconducting quantum computer ‘Origin Wukong’ on the 18th, a day ahead of MS. There are mentions that Origin Wukong could become the quantum computer equivalent of Deepseek. This achievement emerged despite the U.S. strictly controlling exports of technology and related equipment to China not only in AI and semiconductors but also in the quantum field.

Our government also emphasizes the focused nurturing of quantum technology, one of the three major game-changing technologies, but government investment alone is insufficient. Sangwook Han, president of the Korean Quantum Information Society, expressed concern, saying, "With overseas companies advancing ahead, if domestic companies respond passively to investment and start investing late, catching up could be difficult."

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