IBM Sets the Course to Build World's First Large-Scale, Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer at New IBM Quantum Data Center

Rhea-AI Summary

IBM unveiled plans to build IBM Quantum Starling, the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029 at a new Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. The system will perform 20,000 times more operations than current quantum computers, running 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubits. IBM introduced a breakthrough quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) code that reduces physical qubit requirements by 90% compared to other codes. The roadmap includes intermediate systems: Loon (2025), Kookaburra (2026), and Cockatoo (2027), leading to Starling and later Blue Jay with 2,000 logical qubits. This fault-tolerant architecture aims to solve complex problems in drug development, materials discovery, and optimization that would require more than a quindecillion traditional supercomputers to process.

Positive

• Breakthrough qLDPC code reduces physical qubit requirements by 90% compared to other leading codes
• System will perform 20,000 times more operations than current quantum computers
• Clear roadmap with specific milestones from 2025 to 2029
• Technology could accelerate advances in drug development, materials discovery, and optimization
• Modular design allows for scalability beyond single chip limitations

Negative

• Long timeline with completion not expected until 2029
• Complex technical challenges remain in achieving fault tolerance
• Significant infrastructure and resource requirements for implementation
• Requires development of multiple intermediate systems before final implementation

Insights

Quantum Computing Scientist

IBM's path to fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029 represents a revolutionary advancement that could transform multiple industries.

IBM's announcement marks a watershed moment in quantum computing. The planned IBM Quantum Starling represents the first viable path to a truly practical, large-scale quantum computer capable of performing 20,000 times more operations than current systems. The computational power is staggering - representing its state would require more than a quindecillion (10^48) of today's most powerful supercomputers.

The breakthrough centers on IBM's implementation of quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) codes, which reduce the physical qubit overhead by approximately 90 percent compared to other leading error-correction approaches. This efficiency is crucial, as it addresses the fundamental quantum computing challenge: maintaining quantum states in the presence of noise and decoherence.

IBM's roadmap outlines strategic milestones including Loon (2025), Kookaburra (2026), and Cockatoo (2027) before Starling's completion in 2029. The architectural innovations are particularly notable - especially the modular design using "C-couplers" and "L-couplers" to connect qubits across longer distances. This modular approach solves the critical scaling problem that has limited quantum computing progress.

When operational, Starling will execute 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubits, potentially revolutionizing fields like drug discovery, materials science, and optimization problems that are intractable for classical computers. The follow-on system, Blue Jay, will further scale to 1 billion operations with 2,000 logical qubits.

What makes this announcement particularly significant is that IBM isn't just theorizing - they're committing to building the physical infrastructure at their Poughkeepsie Quantum Data Center with concrete engineering solutions to the critical challenges of fault tolerance, real-time error correction, and scalability.

• IBM Quantum roadmap, processors, and infrastructure outline clear path to IBM Quantum Starling, expected to be first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer 
• Breakthrough research defines key elements for an efficient fault-tolerant architecture — charting the first viable path toward a system projected to run 20,000 times more operations than today's quantum computers
• Representing the computational state of IBM Starling would require the memory of more than a quindecillion (10⁴⁸) of the world's most powerful supercomputers

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. "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."

A large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer with hundreds or thousands of logical qubits could run hundreds of millions to billions of operations, which could accelerate time and cost efficiencies in fields such as drug development, materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization.

Starling will be able to access the computational power required for these problems by running 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubits. It will be the foundation for IBM Quantum Blue Jay, which will be capable of executing 1 billion quantum operations over 2,000 logical qubits.

A logical qubit is a unit of an error-corrected quantum computer tasked with storing one qubit's worth of quantum information. It is made from multiple physical qubits working together to store this information and monitor each other for errors.

Like classical computers, quantum computers need to be error corrected to run large workloads without faults. To do so, clusters of physical qubits are used to create a smaller number of logical qubits with lower error rates than the underlying physical qubits. Logical qubit error rates are suppressed exponentially with the size of the cluster, enabling them to run greater numbers of operations.

Creating increasing numbers of logical qubits capable of executing quantum circuits, with as few physical qubits as possible, is critical to quantum computing at scale. Until today, a clear path to building such a fault-tolerant system without unrealistic engineering overhead has not been published.

The Path to Large-Scale Fault Tolerance

The success of executing an efficient fault-tolerant architecture is dependent on the choice of its error-correcting code, and how the system is designed and built to enable this code to scale.

Alternative and previous gold-standard, error-correcting codes present fundamental engineering challenges. To scale, they would require an unfeasible number of physical qubits to create enough logical qubits to perform complex operations – necessitating impractical amounts of infrastructure and control electronics. This renders them unlikely to be able to be implemented beyond small-scale experiments and devices.

A practical, large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer requires an architecture that is:

• Fault-tolerant to suppress enough errors for useful algorithms to succeed.
• Able to prepare and measure logical qubits through computation.
• Capable of applying universal instructions to these logical qubits.
• Able to decode measurements from logical qubits in real-time and can alter subsequent instructions.
• Modular to scale to hundreds or thousands of logical qubits to run more complex algorithms.
• Efficient enough to execute meaningful algorithms with realistic physical resources, such as energy and infrastructure.

Today, IBM is introducing two new technical papers that detail how it will solve the above criteria to build a large-scale, fault-tolerant architecture.

The first paper unveils how such a system will process instructions and run operations effectively with qLDPC codes. This work builds on a groundbreaking approach to error correction featured on the cover of Nature that introduced quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) codes. This code drastically reduces the number of physical qubits needed for error correction and cuts required overhead by approximately 90 percent, compared to other leading codes. Additionally, it lays out the resources required to reliably run large-scale quantum programs to prove the efficiency of such an architecture over others.

The second paper describes how to efficiently decode the information from the physical qubits and charts a path to identify and correct errors in real-time with conventional computing resources.

From Roadmap to Reality

The new IBM Quantum Roadmap outlines the key technology milestones that will demonstrate and execute the criteria for fault tolerance. Each new processor in the roadmap addresses specific challenges to build quantum computers that are modular, scalable, and error-corrected:

• IBM Quantum Loon, expected in 2025, is designed to test architecture components for the qLDPC code, including "C-couplers" that connect qubits over longer distances within the same chip.
• IBM Quantum Kookaburra, expected in 2026, will be IBM's first modular processor designed to store and process encoded information. It will combine quantum memory with logic operations — the basic building block for scaling fault-tolerant systems beyond a single chip.
• IBM Quantum Cockatoo, expected in 2027, will entangle two Kookaburra modules using "L-couplers." This architecture will link quantum chips together like nodes in a larger system, avoiding the need to build impractically large chips.

Together, these advancements are being designed to culminate in Starling in 2029.

To learn more about IBM's path to scaling fault tolerance, read our blog here, and watch our IBM Quantum scientists in this latest video.

Media Contacts

Erin Angelini, IBM Communications
Edlehr@us.ibm.com

Brittany Forgione, IBM Communications
Brittany.forgione@ibm.com 

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SOURCE IBM

FAQ

What is IBM Quantum Starling and when will it be completed?

IBM Quantum Starling is planned to be the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, expected to be completed by 2029 at IBM's new Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.

How much more powerful will IBM Quantum Starling be compared to current quantum computers?

IBM Quantum Starling will be able to perform 20,000 times more operations than current quantum computers, running 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubits.

What is the significance of IBM's new qLDPC code?

IBM's quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) code reduces the number of physical qubits needed for error correction by approximately 90% compared to other leading codes, making large-scale quantum computing more practical.

What are the key milestones in IBM's quantum roadmap before Starling?

The roadmap includes IBM Quantum Loon (2025), Kookaburra (2026), and Cockatoo (2027), each addressing specific challenges in building modular, scalable, and error-corrected quantum computers.

What practical applications could IBM Quantum Starling enable?

Starling could accelerate time and cost efficiencies in fields such as drug development, materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization problems.