IBM has successfully connected and cooled two cryogenic modules into a single environment, marking a step in its roadmap toward the planned IBM Quantum Starling fault-tolerant quantum computer in 2029. The architecture is designed to scale into a shared ultra-cold system capable of linking hundreds of quantum chips.
The first two operational modules together stand more than 8 ft (approx. 2.4 m) tall and 8 ft (approx. 2.4 m) wide. Initial tests showed that they can jointly cool to 4 K, the temperature of liquid helium, in under five days and subsequently reach below 15 millikelvin. Each module’s vacuum enclosure provides up to 12 times more wiring space than IBM’s most widely used quantum systems.
The box-shaped modules can be installed in a tight row and directly link quantum processors using IBM’s “L-coupler” technology. The L-couplers connect separate quantum chips so they can share information, communicate and operate as part of a larger quantum computer.
IBM plans to install IBM Quantum Nighthawk processors in the cryogenic modules later in 2026 for further operational performance testing. By 2027, its roadmap calls for L-couplers to link multiple processors into a quantum computer with at least 1,000 programmable qubits. IBM plans for each cryogenic module to house thousands of qubits when Starling is delivered.
Three components of the IBM Quantum System Two environment are incorporated into the new architecture in a form that allows each part to be independently tested, improved and rapidly iterated.
“Bringing fault-tolerant quantum computers to industries depends on several fundamental advances,” said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow. “The successful connection and operation of these cryogenic modules signals a leap forward in that direction and will accelerate our progress alongside continued innovation in quantum hardware, software, and algorithms.”
