IBM released Nighthawk r3: 520 programmable qubits support 10,000 quantum operations

IBM announced the next-generation superconducting quantum processor IBM Quantum Nighthawk r3, designed to accurately perform 10,000 quantum operations on 520 programmable qubits. This processor contains 2,034 physical qubits, continuing the square lattice connectivity and fast operation architecture of Nighthawk r2, and adds 10 inter-chip connections called l-couplers. IBM plans to connect two Nighthawk r3 processors into a single 1,040 qubit system by 2027.

The currently deployed Nighthawk r2 is equipped with 120 programmable qubits, 218 couplers, and 120 reset elements, capable of executing over 100,000 circuits per second, with a throughput approximately 25 times that of Heron, and a maximum speed increase of 19 times for partner workloads, with E.ON reporting a 15 times increase. IBM previously connected two Nighthawk r1 processors using 4 l-couplers, achieving a quantum state transfer fidelity of up to 99.3%, averaging 99%; the two connected cryogenic modules cooled down to below 15 milli-Kelvin within 5 days.