TLDR
- Microsoft unveiled the Majorana 2 quantum chip at its Build 2026 conference, targeting commercially useful quantum machines by 2029
- The chip uses lead-based superconductors instead of aluminum, delivering a 1,000-fold improvement on some performance metrics
- Majorana 2 features 12 qubits, up from 8, with qubit longevity jumping from under 12 milliseconds to over 20 seconds
- Physicists are criticizing Microsoft for not releasing enough public data to verify its quantum claims
- MSFT stock is currently trading at $441.31, down 4.17%, with GuruFocus rating it as roughly 20% undervalued
Microsoft’s quantum computing push just got a lot more concrete. At its Build 2026 developer conference on June 2, the company unveiled the Majorana 2 chip and set a firm 2029 target for a commercially useful quantum computer.
Announced today at #MSBuild: Microsoft unveiled Majorana 2, a next-generation topological quantum chip developed with the help of Microsoft Discovery’s agentic AI. https://t.co/esVcmeWdgh pic.twitter.com/vZBu4UmMQs
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) June 2, 2026
MSFT stock was down 4.17% to $441.31 at the time of the announcement.
The new chip is a direct follow-up to the original Majorana chip released last year. It now packs 12 qubits, up from 8, and dramatically extends qubit longevity from under 12 milliseconds to over 20 seconds. That’s a meaningful leap in stability for a technology that has long struggled with decoherence.
The 2029 goal puts Microsoft on the same timeline as IBM, which last month said it would spend $10 billion on quantum development and has spun out a dedicated chip company backed by the Trump administration.
The Lead Advantage
The most eye-catching technical change is the switch from aluminum to lead superconductors. That’s not a small tweak — lead atoms are larger and behave differently at quantum scales. Microsoft says AI-assisted materials science tools helped them figure out how to use lead, which is water-soluble, without it washing away during manufacturing.
Jason Zander, the Microsoft executive vice president overseeing quantum, described that as the key breakthrough. The result was a claimed 1,000-fold improvement on certain performance metrics. “The reason why people don’t use it to build chips is it requires an incredibly specialized process,” Zander said. “We figured it out.”
Microsoft’s entire quantum approach is built on so-called Majorana quasiparticles, which had not been confirmed to exist until the company claimed to have observed them. That’s still a contested point in the physics community.
Pushback From Scientists
Not everyone is buying it. Physicists including Henry Legg at the University of St. Andrews have pushed back, arguing Microsoft has not released sufficient data to allow independent verification. The journal Science flagged in 2024 that it was reviewing data from a 2020 Microsoft quantum study. Critics say similar data issues persist in the latest research.
Microsoft’s response is that trade secrets prevent a full public data release, but that relevant findings have been shared confidentially with DARPA, which is evaluating multiple quantum approaches.
“We’ve done enough of the physics to really have great data,” Zander said.
According to GuruFocus, MSFT carries a GF Score of 97 out of 100, with perfect 10/10 ratings in profitability, growth, and valuation. Its P/E ratio sits at 26.27x, below its five-year median of 34.15x.
Insider activity over the past three months shows no buying, with $5.6 million in stock sold by insiders.
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