Microsoft Majorana 1 quantum chip: Elon Musk, Satya Nadella's bromance on display after Musk applauds Microsoft's breakthrough

Microsoft’s latest quantum computing breakthrough has sparked excitement in the tech world. And guess who has given a tacit thumbs up? None other than self-proclaimed Microsoft baiter, Elon Musk.

On Wednesday, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella claimed that the software giant had “created an entirely new state of matter” with topoconductors, a new class of materials enabling a “fundamental leap in computing.” He said the advancement could allow the company to build a meaningful quantum computer “not in decades, as some have predicted, but in years.”

"It powers Majorana 1, the first quantum processing unit built on a topological core. We believe this breakthrough will allow us to create a truly meaningful quantum computer not in decades, as some have predicted, but in years. The qubits created with topoconductors are faster, more reliable, and smaller," Nadella added.

The Microsoft chief envisioned a future where a chip fitting in the palm of a hand could outperform every classical computer on Earth combined.

"They are 1/100th of a millimeter, meaning we now have a clear path to a million-qubit processor. Imagine a chip that can fit in the palm of your hand yet is capable of solving problems that even all the computers on Earth today combined could not! Sometimes researchers have to work on things for decades to make progress possible. It takes patience and persistence to have big impact in the world. And I am glad we get the opportunity to do just that at Microsoft," Nadella further remarked.

In response to Nadella's claim, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded by saying, “More and more breakthroughs with quantum computing …” The comment, although cryptic, could be Musk's way of saying how quantum computing is truly seeing a renaissance of late.

In response to Musk, Nadella wrote back, calling the development 'exciting' and also said that the technology could be quantum computing's 'transistor' moment.

"Exciting, right? We think this could be quantum’s transistor moment… just think of the implications for battery chemistry! And big congrats to you and the team on Grok 3," Nadella wrote.

Microsoft’s Majorana 1 is built on nearly two decades of research, and the company insists its topological qubits are more stable and scalable than previous quantum systems. However, as many experts have pointed out, quantum computing has long been plagued by doubts over its practical implementation, with many breakthroughs failing to translate into tangible applications.