Introduction
Microsoft has declared the end of an era of noisy, error-prone quantum machines as it channels its vast resources towards building a fault-tolerant quantum computer designed to work with artificial intelligence (AI) and classical high-performance computing (HPC). In an interview with Computer Weekly in Singapore, top executives from Microsoft’s quantum team outlined a strategy that relies on a breakthrough in a new type of qubit, a commitment to being an open platform player, and the power of AI to make quantum programming accessible to everyone. GetMyIndia.com
Hybrid Quantum Computing Model
Despite its progress, Microsoft does not see quantum computers as a replacement for classical machines. Instead, it envisions a hybrid model where quantum processing units act as powerful accelerators for specific problems, working alongside classical central processing units and graphics processing units.
“The quantum machine is not a standalone quantum entity,” said Zulfi Alam, corporate vice-president of quantum at Microsoft. “It has a very powerful supercomputer sitting right next to it to control the quantum machine. It also needs an AI engine to orchestrate the workflows.” This integration is key to democratising the technology. Srinivas Prasad Suga, vice-president for quantum and AI at Microsoft, said the goal is to abstract the complexities of quantum physics by leveraging AI, specifically tools like GitHub Copilot, to translate natural language prompts into complex quantum circuits.
“So, when you say, ‘design a new catalyst that helps increase yield by XYZ’, the AI will then design the workflow,” said Alam, adding that the system will discern which parts of the problem run best on classical or quantum hardware, execute the computations, and synthesise the results for the user.
From Chemistry to a Platform for all
While the killer application for quantum computing today is largely in chemistry and materials science, Microsoft is building a broad platform to serve multiple industries.
Alam noted that as a platform supplier, Microsoft’s goal is to support different types of quantum technologies, including those from third parties. The Azure Quantum platform already provides access to quantum hardware devices from partners like Quantinuum, IonQ, and Pasqal, which use different technologies, such as trapped ions and neutral atoms.
Microsoft’s own work has shown immense promise. Suga cited a project that used AI and HPC to slash the discovery time for a new battery material, reducing 32 million potential candidates to just 18 in 80 hours of computing time. This shows how the combination of AI and HPC is already tackling scientific challenges, with quantum poised to accelerate it further.
In pharmaceuticals, quantum machines will enable researchers to simulate interactions between large proteins and small metallic molecules to develop cancer drugs, opening “an entire new area of medicine”, according to Alam. In finance, the focus is on “small data, high compute” optimisation problems rather than sifting through large datasets. On the security front, Microsoft is doubling down on post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which relies on new mathematical algorithms, thought to be resistant to quantum computers, to protect data from future quantum attacks, a direction driven by strong demand from governments.
“The guidance we are giving customers is to make sure you get PQC on client devices, so that the data is encrypted using symmetric keys that even a quantum machine cannot break,” said Alam. “We’re quite confident PQC works.” With these advancements, Microsoft’s message to enterprises is clear: the time to prepare is now. “This is not going to be 15 years from now,” he said. “This is something that’s going to come to life in the next five years or so. Where AI was five years ago is kind of where we are right now. You need to start getting ready to harness the power of quantum.”
Physical and logical qubits
Quantum computing uses qubits to store and process information. However, today’s qubits are prone to errors that limit their usefulness and the practicality of all noisy, intermediate-scale quantum computers. There are two approaches for reducing these errors:
- Improve the quality of the physical qubits and their operation.
- Use advanced techniques to combine multiple physical qubits into more reliable virtual qubits, which are often referred to as logical qubits.
Merely increasing the number of physical qubits with a high error rate without improving that error rate is futile because doing so would result in a large quantum computer that is not any more powerful than before. In contrast, when physical qubits with sufficient quality of operation are used with a specialized orchestration-and-diagnostics system to enable virtual qubits, only then does increasing the number of physical qubits result in powerful, fault-tolerant quantum computers able to perform longer, more complex computations.
Partnerships & Industry Momentum
Microsoft has forged strong partnerships to accelerate progress in quantum computing. It collaborates with companies like Quantinuum, Atom Computing, Rigetti, and Photonic, integrating its error-correction systems across various quantum hardware platforms. These partnerships enable Microsoft to test its logical qubit software stack across multiple architectures, thereby improving resilience and adaptability. Crucially, Microsoft is a finalist in DARPA’s Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program, aiming to build a fault-tolerant quantum prototype within a few years. This industry momentum reflects a shift from experimental research toward practical, scalable quantum solutions.
Conclusion
Microsoft is positioning itself at the forefront of the quantum computing revolution by focusing on building fault-tolerant systems that integrate seamlessly with AI and high-performance computing. Through a hybrid model, it aims to democratize quantum technology by simplifying its complexity using AI tools and offering open access through the Azure Quantum platform. With strong industry partnerships, progress in logical qubit development, and practical use cases in fields like chemistry, finance, and cybersecurity, Microsoft is driving quantum computing from theory to real-world impact. The message is clear: the quantum future is approaching fast, and enterprises need to prepare now.
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