By Supantha Mukherjee

COPENHAGEN, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT ) on

Wednesday said it is expanding its quantum facility just outside

the Danish capital Copenhagen, by building its second lab in the

Nordic country and its largest quantum site globally.

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionise

industries by solving problems that are practically impossible

for today's computers. Its ability to process vast amounts of

data simultaneously could unlock discoveries in medicine and

chemistry and transform fields from finance to climate

modelling.

The facility in Lyngby will help in the development of its

Majorana 1 chip, which relies on a subatomic particle that makes

it less prone to the errors that have made quantum computing not

yet practical.

Based on the principles of quantum mechanics to process

information with qubits, which can hold multiple states at once

instead of 0 or 1 for classical bits, quantum computing can

solve highly complex problems with incredible speed but it is

extremely difficult to control and prone to errors.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) said its total quantum investments in Denmark have

now surpassed 1 billion Danish crowns ($156.18 million).

"With this expansion of the Lyngby lab, we are converting

deep physics into manufacturable technology, while reinforcing

our commitment to Denmark and to Europe, advancing transatlantic

collaboration," Jason Zander, Microsoft's ( MSFT ) executive vice

president, said in a statement.

In July, Microsoft ( MSFT ) partnered with the Novo Nordisk

Foundation and Denmark's state-owned credit fund EIFO to invest

in what they say will be the world's most powerful quantum

computer, Magne.

The old and the new lab are located in two separate

buildings, about 25 to 50 meters apart, but will form a single

quantum site, a Microsoft ( MSFT ) spokesperson said.

($1 = 6.4029 Danish crowns)