Scientist questions Microsoft’s quantum computing claims in Nature paper

Microsoft wants you to believe it cracked the code on quantum computing. A growing chorus of physicists is saying: not so fast.

The tech giant published a paper in Nature on 19 February 2025 tied to its Majorana 1 chip, which it marketed as the world’s first quantum processor powered by topological qubits. The problem, according to UK-based researchers, is that the paper itself doesn’t actually prove the existence of the exotic particle the whole thing depends on.

The gap between the press release and the paper

Winfried Hensinger, a physicist at the University of Sussex, and Henry Legg of the University of St Andrews have both flagged the disconnect between what Microsoft told the world and what the Nature paper actually demonstrates. According to their analysis, the paper focuses more on device characterization, essentially describing the hardware, rather than providing definitive experimental evidence that Majorana zero modes were created or harnessed.

Legg has gone further, posting preprints that question the Topological Gap Protocol, the measurement technique Microsoft uses to claim evidence of topological behavior. His critiques center on data quality and the analytical methods used to interpret the results.

A pattern worth noting

This isn’t Microsoft’s first brush with Majorana-related controversy. The company has been pursuing topological qubits through its Station Q research program for nearly two decades, a marathon bet on a fundamentally different approach to quantum computing than what competitors like Google and IBM are building.

Microsoft retracted Majorana-related papers in both 2018 and 2021. The reasons cited included technical errors and data issues.

In June 2026, the company announced the Majorana 2 chip, an upgraded successor. Researchers continue to question whether the underlying technology has been validated at the fundamental physics level.

What this means for investors

When Microsoft announced the Majorana 1 chip, quantum computing-related stocks saw temporary price spikes. That enthusiasm has cooled as the scientific pushback gained visibility.

Google and IBM have taken different architectural approaches, using superconducting qubits rather than topological ones. Microsoft’s topological approach promises better error resistance in theory, but the company’s quantum claims remain aspirational until independent labs confirm the existence of Majorana zero modes using Microsoft’s protocols.

Microsoft has been at this for roughly 20 years through Station Q. Two decades of research without definitive proof of the core particle should calibrate expectations about how quickly topological quantum computing could become commercially useful.

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