IBM aims to build the world's first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028

IBM aims to build the world’s first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028 | MIT Technology Review

The company says it has cracked the code for error correction and is building a modular machine in New York state.

technologyreview.com

TL;DR: IBM just laid out plans for Starling, a modular, error-corrected quantum computer they aim to have up and running by 2028 (cloud access by 2029). Built in Poughkeepsie, NY, it’ll network dozens of chip-filled modules to deliver 200 logical qubits—enough to crank out 100 million accurate operations in a row, versus just a few thousand today.

What makes Starling special is IBM’s own low-density parity-check code (about 12 physical qubits per logical qubit) and real-time error decoding on FPGAs. They’ll scale up in stages—first Loon, then Kookaburra, Cockatoo, and finally 100+ modules for Starling—before eventually birthing Blue Jay (2,000 logical qubits). It’s a bold, bird-themed roadmap, but hitting these engineering milestones will be tricky—and only time will tell if Starling can tackle real-world problems.