IBM Quantum Unveils Nighthawk r2: A 120 Qubit Processor for Error Correction
IBM Quantum has released its new Nighthawk r2 processor on the IBM Quantum Platform. This quantum processor represents a significant leap in processing speed for complex circuits, with over 100,000 circuits executed per second - a rate 25 times faster than today's IBM Quantum Heron fleet.
The Nighthawk r2 maintains 120 programmable qubits, but focuses on accelerating computations with a new high-speed qubit reset architecture. This advancement has already demonstrated accurate results on circuits containing more than 7,500 gates, achieving a key 2026 milestone on the IBM Quantum Roadmap.
Nighthawk r2's Dissipative Reset Gadget Improves Qubit Quality by actively drawing qubits back to their ground state on demand. This new processor uses a dissipative reset gadget, linking each of its 120 programmable qubits to a cold environment via a high-dynamic-range tunable coupler.