Microsoft Opens Maryland Quantum Center for DARPA Testing

Microsoft has opened a 15,000-square-foot quantum research center in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District, a year after first announcing the project. The facility gives the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on-site access to Microsoft’s topological quantum hardware for independent testing. Previously, outside researchers could test the hardware only through cloud-based remote access.

The system set up for DARPA includes qubits built on Majorana 2, Microsoft’s second-generation topological quantum computing chip. Topological qubits are designed to reduce the error-correction burden compared with other qubit approaches. Quantum computers remain sensitive to environmental noise, so useful systems must repeatedly detect and correct errors during calculations.

Microsoft says Majorana 2 replaces aluminum with lead in its material stack, improving performance and stability. Some scientists have questioned the company’s earlier performance claims. Microsoft says external testing by a team with expertise across hardware, control systems, software and applications may help address that skepticism.

DARPA’s evaluation is part of its Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing program, within the broader Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. The initiative aims to assess whether competing approaches can produce commercially useful quantum computers by 2033. No broadly useful, fault-tolerant quantum computer consistently outperforms classical computers on commercially important work today.

The center also has a hands-on makerspace for students, researchers and career changers. Seven companies have joined the effort, including AMD, Intel, Bluefors, IQM, Riverlane, Quantum Motion and Fermilab. Microsoft says the facility will also let prospective partners test how their technologies work with its quantum platform.