--- description: IBM joined and cooled two cryogenic modules below 15 millikelvin, a milestone toward Starling, its 2029 fault-tolerant quantum computer. title: IBM Links Two Cryogenic Modules Below 15 Millikelvin on the Path to Its 2029 Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer image: https://www.storagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Storagereview-IBM-Modular-Cryogenics-5.jpg --- [![Storage Review]()](https://storagereview.com/) --- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/@storagereview) [X (Twitter)](https://twitter.twitter.com/storagereview) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/storagereview/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/storagereview-com) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/storagereview?sub_confirmation=1) [Email](mailto:info@storagereview.com) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6VnznABhHeOSMOmbDTz0) [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/StorageReview/) [Discord](https://discord.gg/TwMHb4azdC) [RSS Feed](https://www.storagereview.com/rss.xml) [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@storagereview) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/@storagereview) [X (Twitter)](https://twitter.com/storagereview) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/storagereview/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/storagereview-com) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/storagereview?sub_confirmation=1) [Email](mailto:info@storagereview.com) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6VnznABhHeOSMOmbDTz0) [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/StorageReview/) [Discord](https://discord.gg/TwMHb4azdC) [RSS Feed](https://www.storagereview.com/rss.xml) [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@storagereview) [![StorageReview.com](https://www.storagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Storage-Review-2x.png)](https://www.storagereview.com) ≡ Menu - [Home](https://www.storagereview.com/) - [Storage Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/review) - [End User Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/consumer) - [Enterprise Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/enterprise) - [Ubiquiti Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/best/ubiquiti-reviews) - [SR Merch](https://store.storagereview.com) - [Leaderboards](https://www.storagereview.com/best) - [Best Storage Arrays](https://www.storagereview.com/best/storage-arrays) - [Best Enterprise SSDs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/enterprise-ssds) - [Best Servers](https://www.storagereview.com/best/servers) - [Best Enterprise GPUs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/enterprise-gpus) - [Best Desktops for Local AI](https://www.storagereview.com/best/desktops-local-ai) - [Best Laptops for Local AI](https://www.storagereview.com/best/laptops-local-ai) - [Best Local LLM Tools](https://www.storagereview.com/best/local-llm-tools) - [Agentic AI Hardware](https://www.storagereview.com/best/agentic-ai-hardware) - [Best SSDs & Hard Drives](https://www.storagereview.com/best_drives) - [Best Portable SSDs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/portable-ssds) - [Best Business Laptops](https://www.storagereview.com/best/business-laptops) - [Best Mobile Workstations](https://www.storagereview.com/best/mobile-workstations) - [Best Desktop Workstations](https://www.storagereview.com/best/desktop-workstations) - [Best Mini PCs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/mini-pcs) - [Best Laptop Battery Life](https://www.storagereview.com/best/laptop-battery-life) - [Storage Reference Guide](https://www.storagereview.com/storage-reference-guide) - [About SR](https://www.storagereview.com/about-storagereview) - [StorageReview.com Sweepstakes Rules and Regulations](https://www.storagereview.com/storagereview-com-sweepstakes-rules-and-regulations) Search [Home](https://www.storagereview.com/) » [News](https://www.storagereview.com/news) » IBM Links Two Cryogenic Modules Below 15 Millikelvin on the Path to Its 2029 Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer # IBM Links Two Cryogenic Modules Below 15 Millikelvin on the Path to Its 2029 Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer by Harold Fritts on August 19, 2026 [AI](https://www.storagereview.com/enterprise/ai)  ◇  [Enterprise](https://www.storagereview.com/enterprise) IBM has successfully [integrated and cooled two cryogenic modules](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-08-19-ibm-connects-its-first-modular-cryogenic-systems-in-milestone-toward-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing) within a single shared environment, a step the company calls critical to scaling quantum systems that can eventually link hundreds of quantum chips. The achievement supports IBM’s stated timeline for delivering IBM Quantum Starling in 2029, a system the company expects to be the first fault-tolerant quantum computer, incorporating advances in error correction, processor design, decoding, and overall systems engineering. ![IBM cryogenic modules: interior wiring of the modular ultra-cold system IBM joined and cooled for fault-tolerant quantum computing](https://www.storagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Storagereview-IBM-Modular-Cryogenics-5.jpg) The interior of IBM’s scalable and modular cryogenic system to support fault-tolerant quantum computing. (Credit: IBM) The combined two-module setup measures more than 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide. During initial testing, the modules cooled together to 4 Kelvin, the temperature of liquid helium, in under five days, then reached below 15 millikelvin shortly afterward, more than 180 times colder than deep space. Each module’s vacuum enclosure provides up to 12 times more wiring space than the most widely used IBM quantum systems, a design change intended to support a higher density of chip-to-chip connections both within individual modules and across linked modules. The modules use a box-shaped design that allows multiple units to connect in a tight row. This layout, combined with the added internal wiring space, enables direct linking of quantum processors through IBM’s L-coupler technology. L-couplers connect separate quantum chips, enabling them to exchange information and function together as components of a larger quantum computer. ## Linking 1,000 Qubits IBM’s roadmap calls for L-couplers to connect multiple processors into a combined system of at least 1,000 programmable qubits by 2027. Programmable qubits are those that can be directly applied to computations. As part of this effort, IBM plans to install its Quantum Nighthawk processors into the cryogenic modules later this year to continue performance testing. When Starling reaches deployment, IBM intends for each cryogenic module to house thousands of qubits. IBM first [outlined its plans for Starling](https://www.storagereview.com/news/ibm-unveils-starling-roadmap-to-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing) last year, introducing an error-correction code designed to significantly reduce the physical resource overhead required for fault tolerance. Since that announcement, the company has reported continued progress, including demonstrations of core hardware components and [advances in more efficient error-correction decoding](https://www.storagereview.com/news/ibm-quantum-advantage-70-logical-qubits-74-qubit-floquet-dynamics-and-a-trust-framework). ![Gold-plated stages and dense wiring inside IBM’s modular cryogenic quantum system]() The interior of IBM’s scalable and modular cryogenic system to support fault-tolerant quantum computing. (Credit: IBM) ## Speeding the Development Cycle “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 expects the modular cryogenic architecture to speed up its development cycle. Three core components of the System Two environment are now built into the new module design, which allows each component to be tested, refined, and iterated on independently rather than as part of a single integrated unit. IBM frames the completed module integration as evidence that it continues to execute against its published quantum roadmap, clearing another technical hurdle on the path toward fault-tolerant quantum computing. **Engage with StorageReview** [Newsletter](https://www.storagereview.com/storage_newsletter) |  [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/StorageReview "Opens in a new window") | Podcast  [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/storagereview-com-storage-reviews/id1060681115 "Opens in a new window")/ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6VnznABhHeOSMOmbDTz0 "Opens in a new window") |  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/storagereview/ "Opens in a new window") |  [Twitter](https://twitter.com/storagereview "Opens in a new window") |  [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@storagereview? "Opens in a new window") |  [RSS Feed](https://www.storagereview.com/rss.xml) ![]() ### Harold Fritts I have been in the tech industry since IBM created Selectric. My background, though, is writing. So I decided to get out of the pre-sales biz and return to my roots, doing a bit of writing but still being involved in technology. 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