Why IBM is investing $10 billion into quantum computing

Today, IBM announced an additional $10 billion investment in quantum computing over the next five years, demonstrating its long-term commitment to leadership in this technology.

Let’s break down what that means for you, for IBM, and for the future of quantum computing technology.

What is IBM announcing?

IBM is committing more than $10 billion over the next five years to advance quantum computing. The investment will fund research and development, capital expenditure, manufacturing scaling, ecosystem partnerships, and strategic acquisitions. IBM already plans to deliver the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer in 2029—this investment is designed to accelerate progress beyond the roadmap and advance quantum leadership anchored in the United States.

What is a fault-tolerant quantum computer?

A fault-tolerant quantum computer is a quantum computer designed to operate correctly even in the presence of errors. Because quantum bits (“qubits”) are extremely sensitive to their environment, they are prone to errors like decoherence and noise. Fault tolerance is about detecting and correcting these errors, in real time. IBM plans to release the world’s first large-scale, fault tolerant quantum computer, IBM Quantum Starling, in 2029. Starling will be able to run 100 million quantum operations on 200 qubits.

What will this investment enable IBM to build?

This investment reinforces IBM's mission to bring useful quantum computing to the world and builds on the most advanced quantum program in the industry. It will further enable:

• IBM Quantum Blue Jay, a system designed to run one billion quantum operations on 2,000 qubits.
• Accelerated research for technologies beyond our development roadmap—like the quantum computing internet and networked quantum computing.
• Building the next generation of quantum hardware and open-source software while scaling manufacturing and supply chains for the quantum era.
• Strengthening America’s quantum ecosystem with new jobs and new ecosystem partnerships.

What applications will this investment enable?

IBM clients are already pursuing use cases across chemistry simulation, optimization, financial services, and more, while researching algorithms that solve problems beyond the ability of any classical computer. By scaling quantum computing, this funding will allow us to scale these algorithms and applications. Use cases with the potential to scale include:

• Simulating molecules like large-scale proteins relevant to medical research
• Optimizing complex networks like energy grids
• Providing new methods for financial services applications like portfolio optimization and algorithmic trading

How is IBM leading in quantum computing today?

IBM already operates the largest global fleet of quantum computers, with more than 90 systems deployed worldwide via cloud access and on‑site installations. These systems are used by a network of more than 340 organizations across industry, academia, healthcare, and government to run real workloads today, supported by IBM’s open source quantum software development kit, Qiskit, favored by nearly 70% of quantum developers.

Sound exciting. How can I get started?

There’s never been a better time to get started. Developers and businesses interested in quantum should begin by learning about quantum, the kinds of problems it can solve, how to program a quantum computer, and how quantum can fit into their workflow. IBM offers all of the resources you need on IBM Quantum Platform.

• Learn quantum with courses from world-leading experts
• Install Qiskit, the open-source quantum software development kit
• Run your first quantum circuit
• Run circuits on real quantum computers