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    IBM Quantum

    Also known as IBM Q, IBM Quantum Platform

    IBM Quantum is IBM's quantum computing division, which put the first quantum computer on the cloud in 2016 and builds superconducting processors such as the 120-qubit Nighthawk.[1][2] It targets a fault-tolerant machine, Starling, with 200 logical qubits by 2029, and in July 2026 it and partners claimed quantum advantage on several problems, one of which was later reproduced classically.[3][4][5]

    Editor reviewedUpdated Quantum computingComputingPhysics
    Key facts

    Overview

    IBM put the first quantum computer on the cloud on 4 May 2016, a five-qubit superconducting device.[1] Its current flagship, Nighthawk, unveiled in November 2025, links 120 qubits with 218 tunable couplers and runs circuits about 30 percent more complex than its predecessors.[2] IBM moved primary chip fabrication to 300 mm wafers at the Albany NanoTech Complex in New York, which it says doubled development speed and allowed chips ten times more physically complex.[6][7] On the software side, IBM said Qiskit’s dynamic circuits improved accuracy by 24 percent at more than 100 qubits.[8] For the conventional chip tooling it borrows, see how chips are made.

    Roadmap to fault tolerance

    In June 2025 IBM said it would build Starling, a fault-tolerant quantum computer with 200 logical qubits able to run 100 million operations, in Poughkeepsie, New York, by 2029, followed by Blue Jay with 2,000 logical qubits from 2033.[3][9] Instead of the surface-code, IBM uses qLDPC codes, which it says cut error-correction overhead by about 90 percent.[10] The intermediate steps are Loon (2025), Kookaburra (2026), the first module combining quantum memory and logic, and Cockatoo (2027), linking modules.[11] IBM says Loon demonstrates all the key hardware components for fault tolerance and that it achieved 10-times-faster decoding a year early.[12][13]

    For 2026 specifically, IBM’s roadmap has Nighthawk running circuits of 7,500 gates across up to three 120-qubit modules, and Kookaburra demonstrating a single module that combines a logical processing unit with a quantum memory.[14] Nighthawk started at up to 5,000 two-qubit gates; IBM expects 10,000 in 2027 and 15,000 by 2028 with 1,000 or more connected qubits.[15] ContentLora found no primary source reporting Kookaburra’s delivery as of 10 October 2026.

    The 2026 advantage claims

    In November 2025 IBM said it expected verified quantum advantage by the end of 2026 and launched an open quantum advantage tracker with partners, so that claims could be tested.[16] It said it expected the first cases to be confirmed by the wider community, not just by IBM, by that date.[17] On 30 July 2026 it announced several claims. IBM and Algorithmiq claimed advantage for a simulation of heterogeneous quantum matter on the Heron processor, a problem that had stood on the tracker for about eight months.[18] IBM and the University of Chicago claimed advantage for an error-detecting encoded circuit on 70 logical qubits, completed in about 15 minutes.[4]

    On 13 August 2026 a preprint reported reproducing all 2,051 amplitude batches of the IBM-Chicago experiment classically in 37.3 minutes on 256 GPUs, with results consistent with IBM’s fidelity bound.[5] It is a preprint, and the other July claims had not been similarly reproduced in the sources reviewed for this page.[18]

    DARPA evaluation

    IBM entered DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Stage B in November 2025 and was one of four teams moved to the final Stage C on 7 October 2026.[19][20] Stage C involves government verification of whether hardware performs as IBM’s models and roadmap predict.[20] DARPA lists IBM’s approach as quantum computing with modular superconducting processors, matching the module-based roadmap above.[21][11]

    Questions readers ask

    When does IBM expect a fault-tolerant quantum computer?

    IBM says it will build Starling, with 200 logical qubits running 100 million operations, in Poughkeepsie, New York, by 2029.[3]

    Did IBM achieve quantum advantage in 2026?

    IBM and partners claimed it in July 2026, but a preprint in August reproduced the IBM-University of Chicago experiment classically in 37 minutes on 256 GPUs, so the claims are contested.[4][5]

    What is IBM's Loon processor?

    An experimental chip that IBM says demonstrates all the key hardware components needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing.[12]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      IBM put the first quantum computer on the cloud on 4 May 2016, a five-qubit superconducting device kept in a dilution refrigerator at roughly 15 to 20 millikelvin. confirmedas of 2021-05-04

    2. [2]

      IBM unveiled the Nighthawk processor in November 2025, with 120 qubits linked by 218 tunable couplers, allowing circuits about 30 percent more complex than its previous processors. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    3. [3]

      In June 2025 IBM said it would build IBM Quantum Starling, a fault-tolerant quantum computer with 200 logical qubits able to run 100 million quantum operations, in Poughkeepsie, New York, by 2029. confirmedas of 2025-06-10

    4. [4]

      Also on 30 July 2026 IBM and the University of Chicago claimed quantum advantage using an error-detecting encoded circuit on 70 logical qubits, run in about 15 minutes, with effective logical error rates 10 times lower than physical error rates. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    5. [5]

      An August 2026 preprint reported classically reproducing all 2,051 amplitude batches of IBM's 70-qubit doped Clifford sampling experiment in 37.3 minutes on 256 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, with results compatible with IBM's fidelity bound. reportedas of 2026-08-13

    6. [6]

      IBM moved primary quantum chip fabrication to a 300 mm wafer facility at the Albany NanoTech Complex in New York. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    7. [7]

      IBM said the move to 300 mm wafer fabrication doubled its development speed while raising the physical complexity of its quantum chips tenfold. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    8. [8]

      IBM said in November 2025 that Qiskit's dynamic-circuit capabilities increased accuracy by 24 percent at the scale of more than 100 qubits. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    9. [9]

      IBM's roadmap follows Starling with Blue Jay in 2033, targeting 2,000 logical qubits and 1 billion operations. confirmedas of 2025-06-10

    10. [10]

      IBM's fault-tolerance plan uses quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) codes, which it says cut error-correction overhead by about 90 percent compared with other leading codes. confirmedas of 2025-06-10

    11. [11]

      IBM planned three intermediate processors on the way to Starling - Loon (2025) to test architecture components, Kookaburra (2026) as the first module combining quantum memory and logic, and Cockatoo (2027) to link modules. confirmedas of 2025-06-10

    12. [12]

      IBM described its experimental Loon processor as demonstrating all the key hardware components needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    13. [13]

      IBM said it achieved error decoding 10 times faster than previous leading approaches, a year ahead of schedule. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    14. [14]

      IBM's roadmap for 2026 has Nighthawk running 7,500-gate circuits across up to three 120-qubit modules and the Kookaburra processor demonstrating a single module that combines a logical processing unit with a quantum memory. confirmedas of 2026-10-10· forecast

    15. [15]

      IBM said Nighthawk supports circuits of up to 5,000 two-qubit gates and expected later versions to reach 7,500 gates by the end of 2026, 10,000 in 2027 and 15,000 by 2028 with 1,000 or more connected qubits. confirmedas of 2025-11-12· forecast

    16. [16]

      IBM said in November 2025 that it expected verified quantum advantage by the end of 2026 and launched an open quantum advantage tracker with partners to monitor and test claims. confirmedas of 2025-11-12

    17. [17]

      In November 2025 IBM said it expected the first cases of verified quantum advantage to be confirmed by the wider community by the end of 2026. confirmedas of 2025-11-12· forecast

    18. [18]

      On 30 July 2026 IBM and Algorithmiq claimed quantum advantage for a simulation of heterogeneous quantum matter run on IBM's Heron processor, a problem posted on the quantum advantage tracker about eight months earlier. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    19. [19]

      On 6 November 2025 DARPA moved 11 companies to QBI Stage B - Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, IonQ, Nord Quantique, Photonic, Quantinuum, Quantum Motion, QuEra, Silicon Quantum Computing and Xanadu. confirmedas of 2025-11-06

    20. [20]

      On 7 October 2026 DARPA advanced Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM and IonQ to QBI Stage C, joining Microsoft and PsiQuantum, which entered from the US2QC pilot. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    21. [21]

      DARPA lists the October 2026 Stage C entrants as Atom Computing of Boulder, Colorado (neutral-atom arrays), Diraq of Sydney (silicon CMOS spin qubits), IBM of Yorktown Heights, New York (modular superconducting processors) and IonQ of College Park, Maryland (trapped ions). confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    22. [22]

      Google's Willow chip, announced on 9 December 2024, has 105 superconducting qubits. confirmedas of 2024-12-09

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created.
    2. Added IBM's 2026 roadmap targets (Nighthawk gate counts, Kookaburra), the 300 mm fabrication gains, Qiskit results and Blue Jay timing; Kookaburra had not been reported delivered as of 10 October 2026.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "IBM Quantum." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/ibm-quantum

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

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