Microsoft Corp. is ramping up its quantum computing ambitions by hiring a number of experts in the field.

The new appointments include that of longtime Microsoft executive Todd Homdahl (above), who will be charged with leading the company’s quantum computing division. In addition, the Redmond-based company has hired two renowned quantum computing experts, Kouwenhoven and Charles Marcus. Microsoft is also planning to hire two other leaders in the field, Matthia Troyer and David Reilly.

In a blog post, Microsoft said its new hires will work to build both a working quantum computer and also software that’s able to run on it. The announcements come just months after Microsoft founder Bill Gates made public his belief that quantum cloud computing could arrive in as little as six years.

“Microsoft’s approach to building a quantum computer is based on a type of qubit – or unit of quantum information – called a topological qubit,” the company said in its blog post. “Using qubits, researchers believe that quantum computers could very quickly process multiple solutions to a problem at the same time, rather than sequentially.”

Microsoft’s ultimate aim is to create reliable tools that can be used by scientists with a quantum background to solve some of the most difficult problems in the world. By solving those kinds of problems, scientists would be able to “revolutionize industries such as medicine and materials science,” the company claims.

Homdahl previously worked on the development of the Xbox console, Kinect and HoloLens, among other projects. Kouwenhoven and Marcus are both experienced academic researchers who have been been collaborating with the company’s quantum computing research team for several years.

Microsoft also said it will provide additional funds for an increased share of topological qubit research in their labs.

In a statement, Marcus said that a quantum economy will never be realized unless there is greater cooperation between scientists and engineers.

“I knew that to get over the hump and get to the point where you started to be able to create machines that have never existed before, it was necessary to change the way we did business,” Marcus said in a statement. “We need scientists, engineers of all sorts, technicians, programmers, all working on the same team.”

Photo courtesy of Microsoft