IBM and Cisco Unveil Quantum Networking Plans. This Announcement Is Different.

The IBM Quantum Lab at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. (connie zhou for IBM)

Key Points

• IBM and Cisco Systems are collaborating to design a network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers, aiming for a proof-of-concept within three to five years.
• The partnership seeks to develop technologies over the next decade to link quantum systems over longer distances by the early 2030s, potentially forming a quantum internet.
• IBM’s quantum networking timeline is supported by its track record, including the successful launch of a 1,000-qubit system in December 2023.

Leaders in quantum computing envision a future when the ultrapowerful machines can “talk” to each other across long distances. If they pull it off, it could unlock a new frontier of quantum, helping the systems move beyond the lab.

An announcement Thursday from International Business Machines points at progress toward that goal. The company said it was teaming up with Cisco Systems to design a network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers that could come to fruition as soon as the beginning of next decade.

Most classical computers exist over networks, including the internet itself, which allow them to exchange data and communicate with each other, but quantum networks don’t exist yet. That means each quantum computer has to operate on its own.

The concept of a quantum network, which would allow for the sharing of information between individual systems, has drawn interest from IonQ and Rigetti Computing . The chief executives of both companies have discussed the idea in interviews with Barron’s.

IBM is just as enthusiastic. The road map “could lay the groundwork for a future quantum computing internet,” IBM said Thursday. The alliance with Cisco makes sense: Aside from its reputation as a leader in networking, the company has partnered with IBM since 1999.

The companies plan to deliver the first proof-of-concept for a quantum network sometime in the next three to five years. Over the next decade, IBM and Cisco aim to develop technologies that can link more systems over increasingly longer distances by the early 2030s. This fits in with IBM’s broader quantum road map.

“This network could eventually execute problems requiring up to trillions of quantum operations – allowing industries to pursue tasks such as massive optimization challenges or the design of new medicines and materials,” the company said Thursday.

It cold also pave the way for an internet defined by numerous linked technologies. IBM sees a real-world application for quantum sensor networks, which could detect minuscule changes in climate and weather.

But quantum networking will only be possible once today’s clunky, error-riddled quantum computers are refined.

IBM hasn’t been shy about its goal to build a fault-tolerant machine, or one that can continue operating in the presence of errors. Just last month, scientists said they interpreted the results of a quantum error-correction algorithm using classical hardware from Advanced Micro Devices.

Classical computers are already fault-tolerant due to design principles that allow them to continue functioning in the face of errors. However, quantum computers, whose operations are governed by the principles of quantum mechanics, are far more delicate. Qubits are prone to disturbances from the environment.

It’s unrealistic to imagine a future where machines are completely error-free, but creating a computer that can maintain normal operations even in the presence of these disturbances is the last hurdle to cross before quantum breaks out of a laboratory setting.

IBM remains disciplined with its goal-setting—a sign investors can be reasonably confident about the quantum networking timeline the company laid out. IBM Research boss Jay Gambetta previously said the company wouldn’t disclose its targets if it didn’t think it could meet them. In 2022, IBM told Barron’s it planned to release a 1,000-qubit system the following year, a goal it achieved with the launch of IBM Condor in December 2023.

While pure-play quantum computing companies have gotten the most attention this year, IBM has been developing a presence in the industry for decades. To date, the company has deployed the most quantum computers in the world, including at least 25 systems with over 100 logical qubits.

Shares of IBM gained 3.6% Thursday while Cisco rose 1.9%. The quantum computing pure plays traded mixed: Rigetti and D-Wave Quantum rose 2.2% and 0.9%, respectively, while IonQ fell 0.8%.

Write to Mackenzie Tatananni at mackenzie.tatananni@barrons.com