IBM and Lockheed Martin are setting up a quantum innovation hub at ETH Zurich, and its core is Switzerland’s first IBM Quantum System Two, to be installed at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano by the end of 2026. The hub comes out of an offset agreement with armasuisse, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Defence Procurement. IBM will operate the machine, which runs on an IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor, while ETH Zurich supplies the expertise and coordinates access for Swiss universities, startups, and companies.
A 120-Qubit Nighthawk r2 Next to Alps
The Swiss system will run IBM’s Nighthawk r2, which IBM calls the fastest and most advanced processor it has made available to users. It carries 120 programmable qubits and a new high-speed qubit reset architecture that lets it execute more than 100,000 circuits per second, which IBM puts at up to 25x the circuit throughput of the Heron processors it succeeds. IBM also says the part has already demonstrated accurate computations on quantum circuits containing 7,500 gates. Nighthawk is the processor family IBM has been building its near-term roadmap around, most recently when it linked two cryogenic modules below 15 millikelvin on the way to its 2029 fault-tolerant machine.
CSCS will house the System Two in the same facility as its Alps supercomputer and provide the power, cooling, and security, so the quantum node sits directly alongside national HPC infrastructure for the chemistry, materials science, optimization, and financial services work the hub is targeting. That’s the same quantum-centric supercomputing pattern IBM has been describing with partners like AMD, where a quantum processor handles the parts of a problem classical hardware can’t simulate efficiently, and the supercomputer handles the rest. The IBM and ETH Zurich agreement to install and operate the system runs for an initial three years, through 2029. Until the hardware arrives, organizations joining through ETH Zurich get access to IBM’s cloud-based quantum fleet, and the whole arrangement builds on a 10-year collaboration between IBM and ETH Zurich on the next generation of algorithms for AI and quantum computing.
Lockheed Martin’s Two Projects and the Training Pipeline
The hub formalizes two joint projects between IBM and Lockheed Martin: quantum sensing for navigation, and quantum simulation aimed at improving the additive manufacturing of metallic alloys. “This project extends the strategic relationship between Lockheed Martin and IBM in quantum and AI while positioning Switzerland as a leader in these critical, cutting-edge fields,” said Dr. Craig Martell, vice president and chief technology officer at Lockheed Martin. Alessandro Curioni, vice president of algorithms and applications at IBM Research and director of the Zurich Research Laboratory, said the goal is “to put world-class quantum hardware, software and expertise directly into the hands of Switzerland’s thriving academic institutions and industries.”
“Switzerland will gain access to essential research infrastructure that will enable us to further advance the exploration of this emerging technology,” said ETH Zurich President Joël Mesot. Alongside the hardware, the Swiss ecosystem gets IBM Quantum Network and IBM Quantum Platform learning offerings, including coursework, certifications, and workshops, plus support for hackathons, conferences, and partner forums. IBM’s Starling roadmap puts a fault-tolerant system in Poughkeepsie by 2029, and installations like the one at CSCS are where the algorithms for that machine get worked out on utility-scale hardware in the meantime.
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