IBM Sets a 10,000-Operation Target for Nighthawk r3 Processor

IBM announced Wednesday, Nov. 11, that its planned Nighthawk r3 quantum processor is designed to execute 10,000 quantum operations across 520 programmable qubits. The target sets a new scale for the company’s next processor generation.

IBM also plans to connect two r3 processors in 2027 to create a 1,040-qubit system. That configuration remains a future plan; the announcement did not describe an operating r3 system.

The r3 design lists 2,034 total physical qubits and 10 chip-to-chip interconnects called l-couplers. The 10,000 figure is an operations target, not a qubit count: the processor is designed to run those operations across 520 programmable qubits. The physical-qubit total is a separate measure listed for the processor. The interconnects are designed to link processors into larger systems.

The planned r3 system builds on Nighthawk r2, which supports accurate circuits with more than 7,500 operations across 120 programmable qubits. IBM activated Chicago’s Nighthawk r2-powered quantum system on Friday, Nov. 6.

IBM also connected two earlier Nighthawk r1 processors in 2026 using four l-couplers. The connection achieved 99.3% quantum state-transfer fidelity, toward a 99.9% target. The r3 design’s 10 interconnects extend that chip-to-chip approach in the planned processor.

“Useful quantum computing hinges on whether results can be delivered with accuracy and speed,” said Jay Gambetta, director of IBM Research and an IBM Fellow. The two-processor r3 system is planned for 2027.