- IBM unveiled two new quantum chips in its latest step forward
- Nighthawk chip increases circuit complexity by 30% compared to its predecessor
- Loon is the first IBM chip to demonstrate fully fault-tolerant components
IBM has announced two new quantum chips as part of its broader roadmap to achieve both quantum advantage and fault-tolerant computing by the end of the decade.
The company says the new Nighthawk and Loon chips mark a big step toward making practical quantum computing a reality.
The new hardware, released alongside advances in manufacturing and software, aims to bridge the gap between experimental prototypes and commercially useful quantum systems.
Building the foundation for quantum advantage
The Nighthawk chip is designed to achieve what IBM calls “quantum advantage,” the point at which a quantum computer can outperform all classical computing methods.
With 120 qubits and 218 tunable couplers arranged in a square lattice, the chip supports circuits with 30% more complexity than its predecessor while keeping error rates low.
IBM expects the processor to drive up to 5,000 two-qubit gates initially, with future iterations increasing to 15,000 by 2028.
This performance could complement high-end mobile workstations used for AI development and scientific modeling.
Meanwhile, the Loon chip takes a more experimental path and demonstrates for the first time all the key hardware elements needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing.
By linking qubits both horizontally and vertically, Loon explores new architectures for more efficient quantum error correction.
IBM says this marks the first demonstration of all the critical processor components needed for large-scale fault tolerance.
“There are many pillars to bringing truly useful quantum computing to the world,” said Jay Gambetta, IBM research director and IBM Fellow.
“We believe IBM is the only company positioned to rapidly invent and scale software, hardware, manufacturing and quantum error correction to unlock transformative applications.”
To support these goals, IBM has moved production of its quantum processors to a 300mm wafer manufacturing facility at the Albany NanoTech Complex in New York.
This change doubles the company’s development speed, allowing multiple chip designs to be tested simultaneously and increasing the physical complexity of quantum chips tenfold.
These improvements suggest that IBM intends to treat the production of quantum processors with the same rigor that is applied to the manufacturing of modern mini PCs and business laptops.
Using its updated Qiskit tools, IBM improves the accuracy of quantum circuits by 24% and reduces computation costs more than a hundredfold through HPC-assisted error mitigation.
IBM is also collaborating with companies like Algorithmiq, BlueQubit, and the Flatiron Institute to support community-led efforts that track and verify “quantum advantage.”
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