Sovereign Defense Deals Fuel Quantum Computing Push
Lockheed Martin and IBM have partnered to anchor a commercial quantum facility in Europe, leveraging a defense deal between Switzerland's government and Lockheed. The collaboration utilizes defense industrial offsets, channeling millions of dollars into enterprise quantum infrastructure.
The Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement, armasuisse, requires foreign contractors to return economic value to local industry. When Switzerland finalized its procurement of 36 F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, Lockheed Martin faced an offset obligation approaching $3 billion.
Instead of satisfying these terms through manufacturing subcontracts, Lockheed Martin partnered with IBM to deploy the first IBM Quantum System Two at ETH Zurich. The hardware pairs IBM's Quantum Nighthawk r2 processor with the center's Alps supercomputer.
The Nighthawk r2 features 120 programmable qubits and a high-speed reset architecture that can process over 100,000 circuits per second. For IBM, the offset structure acts as an institutional sales engine, allowing it to install flagship hardware abroad on a multi-year contract through 2029.