IBM Introduces Nighthawk and Loon Quantum Innovations to Advance Fault-Tolerant Computing

New IBM quantum chips and upgraded fabrication process the way for verified quantum advantage and reachable fault-tolerant systems.

IBM released Nighthawk and Loon, two new quantum processors designed to make major improvements in quantum computing. With 218 variable couplers and 120 qubits, the Nighthawk chip allows circuits that are around 30% more complicated than those of previous generations.

As a testbed for fault-tolerant quantum computing, the Loon processor implements essential hardware elements such as extended couplers and six-way qubit networks. These developments represent a change in IBM's service for expanding quantum systems beyond experimental prototypes.

Additionally, IBM upgraded its fabrication process at its Albany NanoTech facility by switching to 300 mm wafers, which doubled development speed and increased physical chip complexity tenfold.

These progresses are essential to companies that require high-fidelity simulations; IBM's plan includes the Starling supercomputer, while the Nighthawk provides a blueprint for fault-tolerant systems by 2029. This includes increases in techniques that lead to practical quantum applications and improved error correction.

In the future, IBM expects to deliver Nighthawk for the first time by the end of 2025, achieve verified quantum advantage by the end of 2026, and aim for fully fault-tolerant quantum systems by 2029.