Parts of the IBM Quantum System Two are seen at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, on June 6, 2025.
IBM on Tuesday announced a roadmap to develop a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer called Quantum Starling.
Part of the company's plan involves the new IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor, which is set to release later this year, according to a blog post announcing the details.
"Unlocking the full promise of quantum computing will require a device capable of running larger, deeper circuits with hundreds of millions of gates operating on hundreds of qubits, at least," the company said in a blog post. "More than that, it will require a device capable of correcting errors and preventing them from spreading throughout the system. … It will require a fault-tolerant quantum computer."
Fault tolerance refers to the system's ability to correct and deal with errors.
The quantum race accelerated this year after Google announced its breakthrough quantum chip "Willow" in December. Microsoft rolled out its first quantum chip Majorana 1 in February, and Amazon followed a week later with its "Ocelot" chip.