IBM and Lockheed Martin Launch Quantum Innovation Hub at ETH Zurich
IBM and Lockheed Martin are setting up a quantum innovation hub at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. The hub's core is an IBM Quantum System Two, which will be installed at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano by the end of 2026.
The IBM Quantum System Two will feature a 120-qubit Nighthawk r2 processor, which IBM claims is the fastest and most advanced processor available to users. This processor carries 120 programmable qubits and has a new high-speed qubit reset architecture that enables it to execute more than 100,000 circuits per second.
The hub formalizes two joint projects between IBM and Lockheed Martin: quantum sensing for navigation, and quantum simulation aimed at improving the additive manufacturing of metallic alloys. The collaboration between IBM, ETH Zurich, and Lockheed Martin aims to put world-class quantum hardware and software directly into the hands of Switzerland's thriving academic institutions and industries.
The hub will also provide access to the IBM Quantum Network and IBM Quantum Platform learning offerings, including coursework, certifications, and workshops, plus support for hackathons, conferences, and partner forums. This collaboration builds on a 10-year partnership between IBM and ETH Zurich on the next generation of algorithms for AI and quantum computing.
IBM's Starling roadmap puts a fault-tolerant system in Poughkeepsie by 2029, and installations like the one at CSCS are where the algorithms for that machine get worked out on utility-scale hardware in the meantime.