IBM Advances Modular Quantum Computing With New Chip Connections
Techstrong.IT, Wednesday, October 28th, 2026
IBM linked two 120-qubit quantum processors with long-distance couplers, transferring quantum states between chips at 99% fidelity.
IBM researchers connected two 120-qubit Quantum Nighthawk R1 processors with four L-couplers, each containing an 80-centimeter superconducting cable, inside a dilution refrigerator, and transferred quantum states between the chips with 99% average fidelity.
Controlled-Z gates across the links reached 94.75% average fidelity and were used to create entangled states spanning both chips.
The experiment used only a subset of the qubits, and IBM says further improvements are needed.
IBM aims to link processors in a system of at least 1,000 qubits by 2027, ahead of its fault-tolerant Starling system planned for 2029.