In the quantum computing community, the past few years have been about competing to build the "larger" and "more stable" quantum computer. Now, IBM and Cisco are trying to shift the race from "building a bigger single machine" to "connecting them into a network."
According to reports from IBM and Cisco, the two companies have announced plans to jointly build a distributed network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers, aiming to demonstrate entanglement between quantum computers around 2030, and to construct a quantum computing internet by the late 2030s, enabling computations at the scale of hundreds of thousands of qubits and running algorithms with "potentially up to a trillion quantum gates."
This shift reflects a rethinking of the "scale limits" in the quantum industry.
01. From "Bigger Single Machine" to "Networked System"
Recently, IBM and Cisco announced their collaboration to achieve networked distributed quantum computing in the early 2030s, with a specific timeline: Within 5 years, complete proof-of-concept for interconnecting "multiple large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers." By around 2030, achieve qubit entanglement across quantum computers in mutually independent cryogenic environments; by the late 2030s, lay the foundation for a "quantum computing internet" composed of quantum computers, quantum sensors, and quantum communication systems.
This is not just a single-point technical collaboration but an attempt to redefine quantum computing in terms of "scale."
IBM states that its current roadmap targets 2000 qubits and 1 billion quantum operations on a single quantum computer by 2033, but to push to the next order of magnitude, it must rely on "interconnected quantum systems" rather than endlessly scaling up a single processor.
In other words, IBM is publicly acknowledging that the single quantum computer path faces both "engineering and physical" ceilings, while networked quantum computing, at least conceptually, opens another door for continued scalability.
IBM Research Director and IBM Fellow Jay Gambetta said: "IBM's roadmap includes delivering large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers by 2030. By collaborating with Cisco to explore connecting multiple such quantum computers into a distributed network, we will further enhance quantum computing capabilities. In building the future of computing, our vision is to expand the application boundaries of quantum computers in larger high-performance computing architectures."
Figure | Cisco and IBM establish collaboration (Source: Cisco)
02. The Real Technical Pillars of Cisco's Involvement
If IBM excels at packing more and more "obedient" qubits into a "cryostat," Cisco addresses how to make these ostensibly "stationary" qubits "fly" across networks. The key technical pillars of this collaboration are quite specific:
Quantum Network Unit (QNU)
IBM plans to build a Quantum Network Unit as an interface for the Quantum Processing Unit (QPU), dedicated to converting "stationary qubits" inside the processor into "flying qubits" that can propagate over networks—this is the first gateway from "single-machine physics" to "network physics."
Microwave-Optical "Transducer"
Through a microwave-optical transducer, quantum information existing as microwaves in cryogenic devices is converted into photon signals that can be transmitted over long distances via optical fibers. Reports indicate that this device "does not yet exist at the required quality and scale," so IBM and Cisco are collaborating with research institutions like the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS) under Fermilab.
Software Stack for Quantum Entanglement Routing
At the software and network level, Cisco is developing a high-speed protocol framework that dynamically reconfigures network paths during computation tasks, delivering entanglement resources on-demand to QNUs.
This means the network is no longer just "transmitting data" but distributing quantum entanglement between the right quantum computers at the right time to enable cross-computer quantum operations and "quantum teleportation."
In this collaboration, IBM and Cisco have clear roles: IBM continues developing its IBM Quantum Starling-class fault-tolerant quantum computers along its roadmap and handles QPU and QNU system design. Cisco contributes its expertise in network architecture, protocols, and hardware interconnects to design a data center and wide-area network backbone that "preserves quantum states" for quantum systems.
This "scale-up + horizontal expansion" combination is, at least at the development level, easier for patient capital markets to understand than a single company "building a massive quantum computer behind closed doors."
Figure | Quantum computing internet diagram (Source: IBM)
03. Trillion Quantum Gates and the Imaginative Boundaries of the "Quantum Internet"
IBM's official press release states that by linking multiple large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum machines, the network could support computations at the scale of hundreds of thousands of qubits and run algorithms with "potentially up to a trillion quantum gates." This would provide computational space for "large optimization problems" and "complex materials and drug design."
Comparing this to IBM's previous blog goal of 1 billion quantum operations and a "trillion quantum gates" vision on a single machine by 2033 reveals an implicit logic:
Single-machine limit + network expansion ≈ "effective compute power" for industrial-scale problems
There are two levels of judgment behind this. First, there is real demand on the application side. Fields like chemical simulation, complex financial optimization, and materials design have inherent needs for handling "high-dimensional search spaces" and "multi-variable coupling." IBM and Cisco repeatedly mention drug and materials design, clearly targeting the industries most willing to pay for cutting-edge computing today.
Second, compute bottlenecks are shifting from chips to systems. When a single quantum computer's physical size, cooling complexity, and control wiring are already enormously complex, a "larger fridge" isn't necessarily the most cost-effective solution. Combining multiple quantum computers into a "logical whole" via networks shifts quantum computing challenges from "single-machine hardware limits" to "system architecture and network engineering," aligning more closely with traditional HPC evolution paths.
Of course, a "trillion quantum gates" is more of an ideal upper bound. The entire plan depends on a series of technical breakthroughs with timelines that can't be fully locked in, and all parties acknowledge this as a highly uncertain long-term bet.
Figure | IBM's large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer IBM Quantum Starling render, planned for release in 2029 (Source: IBM)
04. Realistic Signals for Industry and Policy
From the timeline, the IBM-Cisco collaboration resembles a "technical contract" spanning over a decade: By 2028-2030, complete entanglement across multiple quantum computers and basic network prototypes; by the mid-to-late 2030s, attempt to connect quantum computers, sensors, and communication systems on a larger scale to form a "quantum computing internet" in some sense.
For quantum computing companies, this collaboration confirms a direction to some extent: Simply stacking single quantum computers won't sustain technical and commercial imagination long-term. Ecosystem collaboration around QPUs, QNUs, transducers, and protocol stacks will gradually become part of competitiveness. Smaller players may be better suited as "specialized component or software layer suppliers" rather than competing head-on with IBM and Cisco across all layers.
In terms of timing, the timescale stretches to the late 2030s, meaning no "immediate quantum internet business models" in the short term. On the flip side, IBM has explicitly mentioned in the press release joint investments with academic institutions in related research, providing a real entry point for "patient capital + public funding" to shape the ecosystem. Capital needs to judge: In which specific links, like transducers, cryogenic interconnects, entanglement distribution protocols, are there "narrow and deep" technical depths to specialize in.
When "quantum computing internet" enters major tech companies' mid-to-long-term plans, it means basic network infrastructure, standards, and international collaboration will eventually be put on the table. IBM's blog describes the endgame as "quantum computing internet," while Cisco links it to future "quantum communication" and "quantum sensing networks" in its release, which will impact cryptography standards, data sovereignty, and even research openness balances.
Notably, official reports cautiously note: Current quantum computers are still "noisy" and "error-prone"; fault-tolerant quantum computers haven't truly landed yet; networking just shifts difficulty from one domain to multidisciplinary intersections including materials, devices, and network protocols.
In other words, no one is promising a "commercialization timeline"—they're just pushing the "physically feasible" boundaries a bit further.
05. Quantum Development Enters the "Engineering Era"
From this joint statement by IBM and Cisco, quantum computing's development is shifting from an abstract competition over "algorithms and qubit counts" to a very concrete engineering contest: cryogenics, optics, materials, network protocols, data center architectures... Keywords once in traditional infrastructure are being pulled back to the "cutting-edge tech" forefront.
If the previous decade defined progress by peak metrics of a single quantum computer, entering the 2030s, the key question may become: Do you have the engineering and ecosystem capabilities to truly "link multiple quantum computers into one"?
In this sense, the "quantum internet" is still far from reality, but the industry is gradually providing a more verifiable—and questionable—roadmap. For the market, what's truly needed isn't getting hyped by numbers like "trillion quantum gates," but calmly judging: On this long and uncertain road, exactly which layer and link to stand in.
References:
[2] https://www.ibm.com/quantum/blog/networked-quantum-computers
[3] https://outshift.cisco.com/blog/cisco-ibm-future-quantum