Ibm Unveils Landmark Quantum Computing Roadmap Targeting 2029 For

With two new research papers and an updated quantum roadmap, IBM® lays out a clear, rigorous, comprehensive framework for realizing a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029. IBM has the most viable path to realize fault-tolerant quantum computing. By 2029, we will deliver IBM Quantum Starling — a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer capable of running quantum circuits comprising 100 million quantum gates on 200 logical qubits. We are building this system at our historic facility in Poughkeepsie, New York. Watch our new video, 'Realizing large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing,' on YouTube. In a new paper, now available on the arXiv1, we detail a rigorous end-to-end framework for a fault-tolerant quantum computer that is modular and based on the bivariate bicycle codes we introduced with our...

Additionally, we’re releasing a second paper3 that details the first-ever accurate, fast, compact, and flexible error correction decoder — one that is amenable to efficient implementation on FPGAs or ASICs for real-time decoding. We’ve updated our roadmap to match, with new processors and capabilities that will pave the way to quantum advantage, Starling, and fault tolerance. Watch the 2025 IBM Quantum Roadmap update on YouTube. IBM researchers have unveiled an ambitious plan to construct the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, named Starling, by 2029. The system, housed at IBM’s R&D hub in Poughkeepsie, New York, will harness 10,000 physical qubits to support 200 logical qubits, enabling 100 million quantum operations — a feat 20,000 times more powerful than... This milestone promises to unleash quantum computing’s potential for solving problems beyond classical computational reach, from drug discovery to logistics optimization.

IBM’s breakthrough centers on quantum low-density parity check (LDPC) codes, a novel error-correction paradigm that addresses the field’s most persistent challenge: scaling qubits without compounding errors. By drastically reducing the ratio of physical qubits required to protect logical qubits, LDPC codes allow IBM to scale hardware nine times more efficiently than prior methods. Company leaders confirm “the science has been solved” for achieving fault tolerance, making future quantum scaling purely an engineering challenge. Quantum computing has long been hampered by “noise” intrinsic to qubits, which degrade operational accuracy as systems grow. Early error-correction efforts relied on surface codes—a method that required a thousand physical qubits per logical qubit, rendering large-scale systems impractical. IBM’s LDPC advance slashes this ratio, requiring just 50 physical qubits per logical qubit, letting systems scale exponentially.

The company’s path to Starling builds on over a decade of incremental progress. Its Heron architecture (2023) debuted 127-qubit chips with improved coherence, while the 2024 Flamingo chip introduced long-range qubit couplers. Yet these gains remained outpaced by error rates stymieing quantum algorithms. The LDPC-based bicycle code, first unveiled in IBM’s 2024 Nature paper, finally provides the mathematical framework for stable, large-scale computing. IBM’s LDPC codes work like a precision algorithm for quantum error correction (QEC). The system encodes logical qubits across physical qubits in groups called “gros,” each containing 144 data qubits and 144 syndrome checks.

These “checks” identify errors by comparing qubit states against predefined parity patterns, akin to how classical computers detect corrupted code. IBM announced plans for its IBM Quantum Starling, a fault-tolerant quantum computer, that brings quantum computing a step closer in a market that has long promised revolutionary capabilities while delivering laboratory curiosities. Starling is a significant shift from experimental technology towards enterprise-ready infrastructure. The world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, expected by 2029, will finally bridge the gap between quantum potential and business reality. Today's most pressing business challenges push classical computing to its limits. Drug discovery timelines span decades, supply chain optimization extends across global networks, and financial risk modeling must navigate volatile markets.

McKinsey estimates that quantum computing could create $1.3 trillion in value by 2035, yet current quantum systems remain too error-prone for meaningful business applications. The challenge is that existing quantum computers can only execute a few thousand operations before errors accumulate and corrupt results, making them unsuitable for many of the most complex algorithms that drive real business... June 10 2025 IBM made a landmark announcement outlining a clear path to build the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer by the year 2029. Codenamed IBM Quantum “Starling,” this planned system will leverage a new scalable architecture to achieve on the order of 200 logical (error-corrected) qubits capable of executing 100 million quantum gates in a single computation. IBM’s quantum leaders described this as “cracking the code to quantum error correction” – a breakthrough turning the long-held dream of useful quantum computing from fragile theory into an engineering reality. IBM used the occasion of quantum computing roadmap update to declare that it now has “the most viable path to realize fault-tolerant quantum computing” and is confident it will deliver a useful, large-scale quantum...

The centerpiece of this plan is IBM Quantum Starling, a new processor and system architecture that IBM says will be constructed at its Poughkeepsie, NY facility – a site steeped in IBM computing history. Starling is slated to feature about 200 logical qubits (quantum bits protected by error correction) spread across a modular multi-chip system, rather than a single huge chip. According to IBM, Starling will be capable of running quantum circuits with 100 million quantum gate operations on those logical qubits. For context, that is orders of magnitude beyond what today’s noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) processors can reliably do. IBM emphasizes that achieving this will mark the first practical, error-corrected quantum computer – a machine able to tackle real-world problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers, thanks to its scale and reliability. A core theme of IBM’s announcement is the transition from today’s “fragile, monolithic” chip designs toward modular, scalable, error-corrected systems.

Up to now, IBM (and most industry players) built quantum processors on single chips with qubits laid out in a planar array (IBM’s 127-qubit Eagle and 433-qubit Osprey chips are examples). These monolithic chips are limited in size and are not error-corrected – more qubits tend to introduce more noise. IBM’s new approach with Starling is modular quantum hardware: multiple smaller chips or modules will be interconnected via quantum links, allowing qubits in different modules to interact as if on one chip. IBM previewed this modular design with its IBM Quantum System Two infrastructure and experiments like the “Flamingo” coupler that demonstrated microwave links between chips. By distributing qubits across replaceable modules connected quantumly, IBM can scale to much larger qubit counts than a single chip can support. Crucially, this modularity is paired with long-range entanglement – qubits on different chips can be entangled through couplers, overcoming the short-range connectivity limitations of a 2D chip lattice.

IBM’s 2025 roadmap calls for a stepwise implementation of this modular architecture: for example, IBM Quantum “Loon” (expected in 2025) will test the new inter-chip couplers and other components, followed by Kookaburra (2026) to... All these lead up to Starling as the first full-scale fault-tolerant system in 2028–2029. In short, IBM is moving from building bigger single chips to building better systems of chips – a modular quantum compute unit that can be expanded piece by piece. Perhaps the most significant technical breakthrough underpinning IBM’s plan is its quantum error correction (QEC) scheme. Rather than the well-known “surface codes” used by others (which arrange qubits in a 2D grid with local redundancy), IBM is betting on quantum low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes – specifically a family of codes... In simple terms, QEC works by encoding one “logical” qubit of information into many physical qubits, so that if some of the physical qubits get corrupted by noise, the logical information can still be...

Surface codes typically might need on the order of ~1,000 physical qubits to encode 1 logical qubit at an error rate suitable for large algorithms. IBM’s new LDPC-based code is far more resource-efficient: for example, one instance encodes 12 logical qubits in 288 physical qubits (a [[144,12,12]] code), achieving the same error suppression as surface code but with an... This is a game-changer for scalability – it means far fewer physical qubits are required to achieve a given computing capability. IBM’s Vice President of Quantum, Dr. Jay Gambetta, boldly stated, “We’ve cracked the code to quantum error correction”, describing the new architecture as “an order of magnitude or more more efficient” than surface-code-based approaches. By combining these LDPC codes with the modular hardware (which provides the long-range connectivity the codes require), IBM’s “bicycle architecture” can create logical qubits that are robust against errors without impractical overhead.

The bottom line: IBM’s Starling will use error-corrected logical qubits from day one, not just raw physical qubits. IBM believes this development cracks the last big scientific hurdle and that nothing fundamentally unknown remains – it’s now a matter of engineering scale and integrating the system. Overall, IBM’s June 2025 news marks a pivot point in quantum computing. The company has publicly committed to a deadline – a 200-logical-qubit fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029 – and backed it up with a detailed roadmap of intermediate milestones and a stack of research results... They are moving beyond incremental qubit count increases toward a full stack redesign: new codes, new chips, new interconnects, new cryogenic infrastructure, and co-designed software (IBM’s updated Qiskit Runtime and error mitigation tools were... This cohesive effort has led analysts to note that IBM appears to have “solved the scientific obstacles to error correction” and now holds “the only realistic path” toward building such a machine on the...

In the next section, we’ll analyze what this breakthrough means for the wider industry and, critically, for cybersecurity experts who worry about quantum threats to encryption. Reporting by Stephen Nellis; Editing by Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab The quantum computer, called Starling, will use 200 logical qubits — and IBM plans to follow this up with a 2,000-logical-qubit machine in 2033 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

IBM scientists say they have solved the biggest bottleneck in quantum computing and plan to launch the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant machine by 2029. The new research demonstrates new error-correction techniques that the scientists say will lead to a system 20,000 times more powerful than any quantum computer in existence today. In two new studies uploaded June 2 and June 3 to the preprint arXiv server, the researchers revealed new error mitigation and correction techniques that sufficiently handle these errors and allow for the scaling... IBM Corp. today revealed its expected roadmap for building the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, which would enable scaling up quantum computing for real-world practical results. The technology giant said it expects to be able to deliver the platform in 2029.

The new computing system, dubbed IBM Quantum Starling, will be built at the company’s campus in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is expected to perform 20,000 times more operations than today’s quantum computers. According to the company, this new platform would require the memory of more than a quindecillion of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, that’s a number equal to a 1 with 48 zeros after it. “IBM is charting the next frontier in quantum computing,” said Chief Executive Arvind Krishna. “Our expertise across mathematics, physics, and engineering is paving the way for a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer — one that will solve real-world challenges and unlock immense possibilities for business.” Problems that can take a classical computer months or years to solve, a quantum computer can solve in minutes. That makes them ideal for working on problems such as drug discovery, genetics, and materials science.

Quantum processors use qubits, or quantum bits, a fundamental unit of information similar to a bit in classical computing. IBM updated its quantum computing roadmap heading into IBM Quantum Starling, a large-scale fault-tolerant quantum system in 2029. Big Blue said IBM Quantum Starling will be delivered by 2029 and installed at the IBM Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. That system is expected to perform 20,000 times ore operations than today's quantum computers. For IBM, Quantum Starling will be the headliner of a fleet of quantum computing systems. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the company is leaning into its R&D to scale out quantum computing for multiple use cases including drug development, materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization.

IBM also recently outlined flexible pricing models for quantum computing to expand usage and upgraded its Quantum Data Center to its latest Heron quantum processor. The news lands as quantum computing players outline plans to scale organically or via acquisition. IonQ just announced its plans through 2030 and quantum computing vendors have been laying out plans throughout 2025. IBM said Starling will be able to run 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubits. A logical qubit is a unit of an error-corrected quantum computer tasked with storing one qubit’s worth of quantum information. Quantum computers need to be error corrected to run large workloads without fault.

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y., June 10, 2025/PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) unveiled its path to build the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, setting the stage for practical and scalable quantum computing. Delivered by 2029, IBM Quantum Starling will be built in a new IBM Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, New York and is expected to perform 20,000 times more operations than today's quantum computers. To represent the computational state of an IBM Starling would require the memory of more than a quindecillion (1048) of the world's most powerful supercomputers. With Starling, users will be able to fully explore the complexity of its quantum states, which are beyond the limited properties able to be accessed by current quantum computers. IBM, which already operates a large, global fleet of quantum computers, is releasing a new Quantum Roadmap that outlines its plans to build out a practical, fault-tolerant quantum computer. "IBM is charting the next frontier in quantum computing," said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO, IBM.

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