A groundbreaking new chip brings quantum computing within touching distance, according to its manufacturer Microsoft, potentially heralding a new era of tech-powered problem solving for some of the world’s most pressing ills.

At the heart of Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip is the world’s first ‘topoconductor’, capable of creating a new state of matter which is not a solid, liquid or gas.

The company likens its breakthrough to the invention of semiconductors, which shrank massive computing power into tiny packages, making modern smartphones possible.

Microsoft believes topoconductors offer a path to building a chip with a million quantum bits, or qubits – the basic unit of information used in quantum computing – within years rather than decades.

That would create a super computer with more processing power than all the world’s current computers working together.

“This is a needed threshold for quantum computers to deliver transformative, real-world solutions – such as breaking down microplastics into harmless byproducts or inventing self-healing materials for construction, manufacturing or healthcare,” Microsoft said in a statement.

All images: John Brecher for Microsoft