Microsoft Grants DARPA On-Site Access to Majorana 2 Quantum System at New Maryland Center

Microsoft (MSFT) said on September 22, 2026, it will provide DARPA with direct, on-site access to its latest quantum computing hardware at a new research center in Maryland, marking a shift from remote evaluation to physical access for the defense agency. The center, located in the University of Maryland's Discovery District near Washington, D.C., houses a quantum system built on Microsoft's Majorana 2 chip. DARPA previously evaluated Microsoft's technology remotely from Redmond, Washington, and Europe. The new arrangement allows DARPA experts to load hardware and run their own boot sequences independently. Zulfi Alam, corporate vice president of Microsoft Quantum, said the setup imposes engineering discipline as Microsoft moves toward commercialization. DARPA's key metric is whether a quantum system's computational value exceeds its cost. The agency is evaluating multiple quantum approaches for economic feasibility by 2033. Microsoft has said it plans to have commercial quantum systems ready by 2029. The Maryland system is designed to accommodate future chips.