IBM Advances Quantum Computing with Nighthawk for Clean Energy Transformations - CleanTechnica

IBM has made significant advances in quantum computing with the introduction of its Nighthawk processor, a 120-qubit system unveiled in November 2025. Unlike previous generations focused on demonstrating feasibility, Nighthawk is engineered to scale circuit depth rather than just qubit count, addressing a critical bottleneck in quantum computing development. Paired with IBM’s Loon chip, which isolates errors instead of relying solely on brute-force error correction, this approach aims to manage noise and decoherence more realistically. Together, these technologies support IBM’s goal of achieving 1,000 logical qubits by 2028, integrated closely with classical high-performance computing in a hybrid model that augments rather than replaces classical systems. Nighthawk’s architecture uses a square lattice topology allowing each qubit to connect to four neighbors, enabling quantum circuits with up to 5,000 two-qubit gates—a 30% improvement over IBM’s previous Heron processor. IBM plans to increase this to 7,500 gates by