Microsoft lets DARPA test its Majorana 2 quantum chip on Maryland campus

Microsoft announced that its latest quantum computing platform, based on the Majorana 2 chip, will be installed at a new research center in the University of Maryland's Discovery District. The facility gives the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency physical access to the system for independent testing, a shift from earlier remote evaluations conducted from Microsoft sites in Redmond and Europe. DARPA experts will be able to load the hardware, execute their own boot procedures, and measure performance against cost-effectiveness, which is the agency’s primary metric.

Zulfi Alam, corporate vice president of Microsoft Quantum, said the move adds engineering discipline as the company moves toward a commercial product. The Maryland setup is designed to accommodate future Microsoft chips, and the company aims to have market-ready quantum computers by 2029.