IBM powers up 120-qubit Nighthawk r2 quantum computer in Chicago

IBM fired up its most advanced quantum computer yet, and it did it in Chicago. The IBM Quantum System Two went live on November 6, 2026, in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood, running on the company's new 120-qubit Nighthawk r2 processor.

For now, the machine sits at the University of Chicago. That's a temporary stop. IBM intends to relocate it to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, or IQMP, which is still being built on the old U.S. Steel South Works site.

The processor is the headline act. Nighthawk r2 carries 120 qubits, the basic units of quantum information, and uses a square-lattice topology that IBM says improves connectivity over its earlier designs. The Nighthawk architecture also delivers roughly 30% greater circuit complexity than IBM's previous Heron-class chips.

IBM isn't being shy about the target: it wants quantum advantage by the end of 2026. The Chicago switch-on came just a day after the company rolled out an error-correction platform built with AMD and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on November 5, 2026.

The Windy City deployment has been in the works since December 2024, when IBM struck a partnership with the State of Illinois under Governor JB Pritzker. At the center of that deal is the National Quantum Algorithm Center, set to be established at the IQMP, with the Chicago system serving as one piece of the larger puzzle.

There's a jobs angle too. IBM's FutureNow Chicago delivery center, planned for the IQMP, is expected to generate 750 full-time technology jobs.