The selection
IBM has been selected for Stage C, the third phase of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) led by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company announced on October 7 from Yorktown Heights, New York. The initiative is a rigorous, multi-phase evaluation of whether companies can actually build a fault-tolerant quantum computer — one whose computational value would exceed its cost.
What Stage C involves
DARPA launched the QBI in 2024 with the goal of determining whether an industrially useful fault-tolerant quantum computer can be built by 2033. In Stage C, independent experts will extensively test and measure IBM's quantum hardware, technology, systems engineering and architectures in a verification process designed to answer one question: can the company build a fault-tolerant quantum computer in practice? The first two stages of the assessment analysed companies' comprehensive research-and-development plans and their risk mitigation approaches.
IBM's director of research and IBM Fellow Jay Gambetta said advancing to the third stage validates the company's path to fault-tolerant quantum computing, adding that IBM expects to deliver its first fault-tolerant system in 2029 and plans to scale the value of quantum computing well beyond that timeline. He said IBM looks forward to working with DARPA's team of experts as they advance the review into the testing phase.
Why it matters
Barron's reported that Stage C participants could receive up to $300 million in government funding if their designs perform as promised — but the deeper value is credibility. In an industry crowded with bold claims, the DARPA endorsement acts as an objective stamp of approval on IBM's roadmap, and it builds on recent momentum including the launch of IBM's most advanced quantum processor to date and a demonstration showing how quantum chips can be linked to increase processing power.
One notable absence from the announced Stage C list is Quantinuum, the Honeywell spinout that went public in June and is widely cited as a technical leader in the field. A Quantinuum spokesperson told Barron's the company is actively discussing a "Stage C scope of work" with DARPA while continuing work on its Stage B research-and-development contract, and reiterated that it remains on track to deliver useful quantum systems by the start of the next decade.
Sources:
IBM Newsroom — IBM Advances to Stage C of DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative
Barron's — IBM Wins DARPA's Quantum Stamp of Approval. Why Investors Should Take Notice.
IBM has been selected for Stage C, the third phase of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) led by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company announced on October 7 from Yorktown Heights, New York. The initiative is a rigorous, multi-phase evaluation of whether companies can actually build a fault-tolerant quantum computer — one whose computational value would exceed its cost.
What Stage C involves
DARPA launched the QBI in 2024 with the goal of determining whether an industrially useful fault-tolerant quantum computer can be built by 2033. In Stage C, independent experts will extensively test and measure IBM's quantum hardware, technology, systems engineering and architectures in a verification process designed to answer one question: can the company build a fault-tolerant quantum computer in practice? The first two stages of the assessment analysed companies' comprehensive research-and-development plans and their risk mitigation approaches.
IBM's director of research and IBM Fellow Jay Gambetta said advancing to the third stage validates the company's path to fault-tolerant quantum computing, adding that IBM expects to deliver its first fault-tolerant system in 2029 and plans to scale the value of quantum computing well beyond that timeline. He said IBM looks forward to working with DARPA's team of experts as they advance the review into the testing phase.
Why it matters
Barron's reported that Stage C participants could receive up to $300 million in government funding if their designs perform as promised — but the deeper value is credibility. In an industry crowded with bold claims, the DARPA endorsement acts as an objective stamp of approval on IBM's roadmap, and it builds on recent momentum including the launch of IBM's most advanced quantum processor to date and a demonstration showing how quantum chips can be linked to increase processing power.
One notable absence from the announced Stage C list is Quantinuum, the Honeywell spinout that went public in June and is widely cited as a technical leader in the field. A Quantinuum spokesperson told Barron's the company is actively discussing a "Stage C scope of work" with DARPA while continuing work on its Stage B research-and-development contract, and reiterated that it remains on track to deliver useful quantum systems by the start of the next decade.
Sources:
IBM Newsroom — IBM Advances to Stage C of DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative
Barron's — IBM Wins DARPA's Quantum Stamp of Approval. Why Investors Should Take Notice.