By Keumars Afifi-Sabet
Publication Date: 2025-11-14 16:30:00
Scientists at IBM have created two new quantum processing units (QPUs) that they say will take them a step closer to achieving quantum advantage by next year — and a fully fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029.
The first processor, called IBM Quantum Nighthawk, is a 120-qubit chip that can process quantum calculations that are 30% more complex than anything the company’s previous QPU (R2 Heron) could handle.
The company also launched another processor, IBM Loon, with 112 qubits, which scientists say includes all the elements required for full fault tolerance — quantum computers that self-detect and correct all errors in real time.
New quantum processors
Nighthawk enables each of the 120 qubits in the processor to connect with its nearest four neighbors in a square lattice structure, thanks to 218 improved tunable couplers — components that govern connections between individual qubits on the chip. This represents a 20% improvement in the number of couplers in…
