IBM has introduced the Nighthawk r3 quantum processor, designed for quantum advantage workloads. The new chip features a square-lattice architecture and scales to 520 programmable qubits, utilizing 2,034 physical qubits. The system incorporates 10 chip-to-chip interconnects, known as l-couplers, which provide a pathway to reach 1,040 qubits.
The predecessor, Nighthawk r2, currently in production, includes 120 programmable qubits and 458 physical quantum elements. It utilizes a dissipative reset gadget that reduces idle time between runs to 1 microsecond and lowers the effective T1 time to approximately 25 nanoseconds. These improvements allow the system to execute over 100,000 circuits per second.
IBM reports that clients have executed 34 billion circuits on the Nighthawk r2 hardware. The company also achieved accurate observable estimation on circuits containing over 7,500 gates. In testing, IBM connected two Nighthawk r1 chips using four l-couplers and 80 cm cables, achieving state transfer fidelity averaging 99%.
The IBM Quantum Platform now integrates high-performance computing and quantum jobs within a single environment. Collaborative projects have demonstrated performance gains, such as a 5x speedup in quantum diagonalization workflows with RIKEN and a 33x faster processing speed for 608 million samples in work conducted with the Cleveland Clinic and RIKEN.
