Microsoft unveils Majorana 2, a quantum chip that it developed using AI tools for materials science, and says it will have commercial quantum machines by 2029

Microsoft just pulled the curtain back on Majorana 2, its latest quantum computing chip. The key twist: the company used AI to help redesign the processor, marking a notable convergence of two bleeding-edge tech fields.

The bigger headline might be the timeline. Microsoft says it now expects to have commercially useful quantum machines running by 2029. That's a concrete goalpost from a company that's been pouring resources into quantum research for years.

Quantum computing has long lived in the "always five years away" zone. Microsoft is betting that AI-assisted chip design can accelerate the journey from lab curiosity to real-world utility.

Details on the chip's exact architecture and performance benchmarks remain thin. But the 2029 target puts Microsoft squarely in the race alongside IBM, Google, and other quantum heavyweights jockeying for commercial viability.