Microsoft and UC Santa Barbara researchers have unveiled an eight-qubit topological quantum processor, marking a major step toward building a fully functional topological quantum computer. Their innovation lies in a new state of matter,

The processor uses qubits that can be measured without error and are resistant to outside interference, which the company says marks a “transformative leap toward practical quantum computing.”

The tech giant joins Google and IBM in predicting that a fundamental change in computing technology is much closer than recently believed. Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled a new chip that it said showed quantum computing is “years,