A Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability Technical Summit heavily emphasized Copilot technology, with sustainability topics taking a secondary role. The observation comes from analyzing the first three sessions of the event, suggesting a shift in focus from the original sustainability theme.
Microsoft has confirmed Skype will be discontinued on May 5, 2025, after 21 years of service. Users will be gradually migrated to Microsoft Teams, with the ability to log in using Skype credentials and retain their existing contacts and chat history.
Microsoft appears to be preparing to shut down Skype in May 2024, as revealed by hidden code in the latest Windows preview. The messaging platform, acquired by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2011, has struggled to maintain relevance against modern competitors like WhatsApp and Discord. Microsoft plans to transition remaining users to Teams, marking the end of Skype's 21-year run.
Microsoft introduced Majorana 1, the first quantum chip using Topological Core architecture and topoconductors, enabling more reliable and scalable qubits. The breakthrough technology offers a clear path to fitting a million qubits on a palm-sized chip, potentially solving complex industrial problems like breaking down microplastics or creating self-healing materials. The innovative design incorporates error resistance at the hardware level and enables digital control of qubits, simplifying quantum computing operations.
Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, the world's first quantum processor using topological qubits, designed to scale to a million qubits on a single chip. The breakthrough involves a new material class called topoconductor, enabling practical quantum computing through hardware-protected qubits and digital control systems. DARPA has selected Microsoft to advance to the final phase of their quantum benchmarking program, aiming to build a fault-tolerant prototype in the coming years.
Microsoft released open source PostgreSQL extensions to handle document-style data, challenging MongoDB's dominance in the NoSQL space while blurring the lines between relational and non-relational databases. The extensions enable BSON support and MongoDB-compatible commands, partnering with FerretDB to create a viable MongoDB alternative on PostgreSQL.