IBM said it has successfully demonstrated the connection and cooling of two cryogenic modules within a single environment.

According to the company, the cryogenic architecture is a “foundational component” in IBM’s path toward deploying the first fault-tolerant quantum computer, expected in 2029.

The two modules are more than eight feet (2.4 meters) tall and eight feet wide, and initial tests demonstrated that they can be jointly cooled to 4 Kelvin (-269.15°C/-452.47°F) in under five days, before reaching a final temperature below 15 millikelvin (-273.1°C/-459.6°F), IBM said.

Each module’s vacuum enclosure offers up to 12 times more wiring space than IBM’s current most popular quantum systems, enabling more chip-to-chip connections both within and between modules. Additionally, the box-shaped design of the new modules allows them to be connected in a “tight row,” directly linking quantum processors with IBM’s ‘L-coupler’ technology.

L-couplers enable long-range connections between qubits on separate quantum chips, and by 2027, IBM is planning to use the technology to link multiple processors into a larger quantum computer with at least 1,000 programmable qubits.

The company is planning to install its Quantum Nighthawk processors into the cryogenic modules later this year, with plans for each cryogenic module to house thousands of qubits once IBM’s Quantum Starling processors are delivered.

"Bringing fault-tolerant quantum computers to industries depends on several fundamental advances,” said Jay Gambetta, director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow.

“The successful connection and operation of these cryogenic modules signals a leap forward in that direction and will accelerate our progress alongside continued innovation in quantum hardware, software, and algorithms.”

IBM has been at the forefront of the development of quantum processors and, in February 2025, claimed to have booked $1 billion in quantum business between Q1 2017 and Q4 2024.

In November of that same year, IBM claimed it would achieve quantum advantage by the end of 2026 and is on target to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029.

In June 2026, the company announced plans to invest more than $10bn in quantum computing over the next five years, with funds set to cover R&D, capex, manufacturing scaling, ecosystem partnerships, and M&A – areas that IBM says will help accelerate its quantum roadmap beyond 2029.