IBM, the University of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) unveiled an IBM Quantum System Two at Hyde Park Labs at the University of Chicago on November 6, 2026. It is IBM's first quantum computer in Illinois and, according to the company, the most advanced system it currently offers.
The IBM Quantum System Two is powered by the IBM Quantum Nighthawk r2 processor, which IBM describes as the most powerful quantum chip it has ever built. Nighthawk connects 120 qubits through 218 tunable couplers in a square lattice, linking each qubit to its four nearest neighbors.
The computer will anchor the National Quantum Algorithm Center (NQAC), a center created in 2024 by Governor JB Pritzker to bring together universities, national laboratories, startups and companies to develop quantum algorithms and applications. IBM is an anchor partner of the center. For now, the system runs at Hyde Park Labs and will later move to the IQMP campus, under construction on the former US Steel South Works site in southeast Chicago, backed by a $500 million investment from the State of Illinois.
The unveiling was attended by Governor JB Pritzker, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos, IBM Director of Research Jay Gambetta and IQMP CEO Harley T. Johnson. The system sits at street level in Hyde Park Labs, behind floor-to-ceiling windows on 53rd Street — Johnson described it as "probably the most publicly visible quantum computer in the world."
The announcement underscores quantum computing's momentum in Illinois: in 2026, a team from the University of Chicago and IBM demonstrated quantum advantage on a structured computational task, using 70 logical qubits to complete in about 15 minutes a calculation beyond the practical reach of leading classical simulation methods. The NQAC also funds five Grand Challenge program projects, including molecular simulation for drug discovery and power-grid optimization.
Image credit: IBM, via the official IBM Quantum blog.
Sources: IBM Quantum — Chicago's bid to lead the country in quantum computing; University of Chicago — IBM's most advanced quantum computer unveiled at UChicago's Hyde Park Labs; PR Newswire — IBM Unveils Its Most Advanced Quantum Computer in Chicago.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts and internet sources. We recommend consulting the original sources for more details.
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