Quantum/Machines/IBM Quantum Starling
USA · planned · Superconducting circuits
IBM Quantum Starling
IBM Quantum Starling is a superconducting circuits quantum computer operated by IBM in USA. Its physical qubit count has not been published. 6 sourced specs are in the spec sheet. No benchmark figures are recorded for it yet.
Also known as IBM Starling fault-tolerant quantum computer
IBM's planned fault-tolerant quantum computer, stated on IBM's hardware page as planned for 2029 and as able to run 100 million quantum gates on 200 logical qubits. IBM's roadmap blog places it after Loon (2025), Kookaburra (2026) and Cockatoo (2027). The sources consulted give no physical qubit count or confirmed site. This is a roadmap target, not a built machine.
Spec sheet
Technical details as the builder or a paper states them, each with its own source. A blank is a fact we could not source, not a zero. Fidelity and coherence figures are in the benchmark table below.
| Spec | Value | Basis | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Modular fault-tolerant system built on qLDPC gross-code memory modules | Vendor reported | IBM blog describes the [[144,12,12]] gross code using 288 physical qubits per block and Starling as running 100 million gates on 200 logical qubits. | ibm.comibm.com |
| Topology | Modules with c-couplers on chip and l-couplers between chips | Vendor reported | IBM says c-couplers link distant qubits on one chip and l-couplers link qubits on separate chips; this is the planned architecture, not a built machine. | ibm.comthequantuminsider.com |
| Access and pricing | Planned for IBM Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, available to customers by 2029; no price published | Vendor reported | Planned, not yet built; IEEE Spectrum reports availability to customers by 2029 with construction planned by 2028. | ibm.comspectrum.ieee.org |
| Predecessor | Cockatoo | Vendor reported | IBM lists Cockatoo (planned 2027, links two Kookaburra modules with l-couplers) as the step before Starling. | ibm.comthequantuminsider.com |
| Successor | Blue Jay | Vendor reported | IBM names Blue Jay for 2033, capable of 1 billion gates across 2,000 logical qubits. | ibm.comthequantuminsider.com |
| Roadmap | 100 million quantum operations on 200 logical qubits by 2029, magic state injection across modules in 2028 | Vendor reported | IBM roadmap blog of June 2025; physical qubit count was not final per IEEE Spectrum. | ibm.comspectrum.ieee.org |
Timeline
- 2026-10-04: Status checked: planned
More from IBM
- IBM Eagle (decommissioned, 127 qubits)
- IBM Osprey (decommissioned, 433 qubits)
- IBM Condor (operational, 1,121 qubits)
- IBM Heron (operational, 156 qubits)
- IBM Nighthawk (operational, 120 qubits)
- IBM Loon (operational)
- IBM Quantum System Two (Yorktown Heights) (operational)
- IBM Quantum System Two (Chicago) (under construction, 156 qubits)
Comparable superconducting machines
Closest in physical qubit count within the same technology. Counts of different qubit types are not interchangeable across technologies.
| Machine | Operator | Qubits | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro-Q-Exa | LRZ | 54 | operational |
| ORNL Pathfinder | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | 20 | operational |
| Rigetti Cepheus-1-108Q | Rigetti Computing | 108 | operational |
| Origin Wukong-180 | Origin Quantum | 180 | operational |
| IQM Radiance NOX at CINECA | CINECA | 54 | operational |
| IQM Radiance at Poznan University of Technology | Poznan University of Technology | - | operational |