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TheTechno Optimist.

IBM—NighthawkIBM—NighthawkIBM—NighthawkIBM—

IBM

Superconducting chips, error correction, Qiskit

USpublicest. 1911ibm.com (opens ibm.com)Checked 25 Sep

The brief

Analyst view
  • Unveiled Nighthawk (120 qubits) and Loon (error-correction test chip) in November 2025.
  • Expects partners to show verified quantum advantage by the end of 2026.
  • Committed more than $10B to quantum computing in June 2026.

Technical approach

As reported
Qubits

Transmons with tunable couplers

Superconducting transmon qubits are linked by couplers that switch on only during gates, cutting crosstalk.

Codes

Gross code (qLDPC)

Stores 12 logical qubits in 288 physical ones, about 10x fewer than a surface code. The catch: it needs long-range links.

Decoding

Real-time decoding on FPGAs

A decoder on AMD programmable chips (FPGAs) spots errors fast enough to keep up with the quantum chip.

Hybrid

Quantum-centric supercomputing

Qiskit splits jobs between quantum chips and normal supercomputers, for example in chemistry.

Programs

IBM, two programs

Updated 31 Aug 2026
Starling fault-tolerant roadmapIBM's path to a large error-corrected quantum computer. Starling in Poughkeepsie, New York, should run 100 million gates on 200 logical qubits by 2029. Blue Jay (2,000) follows.ProtoNextKookaburra: first error-corrected memory plus logic module · 2026Updated 10 Jun 2025View program →NighthawkIBM's chip for near-term quantum advantage tests. Its 120 qubits sit on a square grid with 218 couplers, so programs need fewer extra moves than on Heron.DeployNextNighthawk circuits of 7,500 two-qubit gates · 2026Updated 31 Aug 2026View program →
Research · Proto · Pilot · Deploy · Scaling

Research & demos

3 items

Open technical problems

Open · Active · Partial
  • Long-range couplersActive research

    The code needs links between distant qubits. IBM routes wires across chip layers, which must stay low-loss and high-yield.

  • Proving quantum advantageActive research

    Claimed advantages keep being matched by better classical simulations. IBM runs an open tracker to check them.

  • Scaling cryogenics and wiringActive research

    Thousands of qubits need thousands of control lines into the fridge. IBM plans linked modules instead of one giant fridge.

Upcoming catalysts

Company-wide
  • 11 Nov2026IBM Quantum Developer Conference 2026, ChicagoStarling fault-tolerant roadmapin 32 d
  • Dec2026Verified quantum advantage claims by IBM partnersStarling fault-tolerant roadmapby ~3 mo

Peers

Superconducting · 3

Company & funding

HQ
US
Founded
1911

Partners & customers

3 customers · 1 partner

People

Key people
Primer