IBM, AMD, ORNL Launch Quantum Error-Correction Platform
The platform links IBM's 120-qubit Nighthawk quantum computers with Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Umbra supercomputer to research protecting quantum information from noise.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Quantum Computing
IBM, AMD, and the Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched a quantum error-correction platform that connects IBM's 120-qubit Nighthawk quantum computers with ORNL's Umbra high-performance computing system. The platform is designed to address errors that occur roughly once every few hundred operations in physical qubits.
Why it matters
Protecting quantum information from noise is required for high performance and correctness in quantum computing, since without correction errors compound rapidly and make long or complex calculations untenable. The platform brings quantum and classical high-performance computing together to study that problem directly.
The system pairs IBM's Nighthawk processor, which uses square-lattice connectivity, with Umbra, a system powered by AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs and 5th Gen EPYC CPUs. Researchers can measure qubits mid-calculation and act on results in real time, though the platform's performance benchmarks have not been reported.
The players
IBM
IBM is a multinational technology company that has been developing quantum computers, including the 120-qubit Nighthawk system used in this platform.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy research facility in Tennessee that operates the Umbra high-performance computing system and hosts the Quantum Science Center.
AMD
AMD is a semiconductor company that supplies the Instinct MI355X graphics processing units and EPYC processors powering the Umbra system.
The details
The platform is a co-design environment for quantum error correction that lets researchers set exact timing for signals that protect qubits from noise. It follows earlier 2026 work by IBM and ORNL that simulated magnetic materials and calculated molecular configurations of a promising fusion fuel material.
Timeline
Earlier in 2026: IBM and ORNL unveiled magnetic material and fusion fuel simulation results.
November 5, 2026: IBM, AMD, and ORNL announced the quantum error-correction platform.
The Tech Race
The platform extends the Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's partnership work into a co-designed error-correction environment, positioning U.S. national labs and industry partners alongside IBM's quantum hardware. It reflects a broader effort to integrate quantum processors with the classical supercomputers that already anchor scientific computing.
For now the platform is a research environment, so it does not change how businesses or consumers use quantum computing today. Its near-term relevance is to scientists and engineers working on error correction, which is a prerequisite for quantum systems that can run long, complex calculations reliably.
The takeaway
Reliable quantum computing depends on correcting errors that otherwise compound quickly, and platforms that combine quantum hardware with classical supercomputers are one route to studying that problem. Progress will be measured by whether future error-rate results from such systems improve on today's baseline.
Further reading
Explore more on Quantum Computing coverage for the latest developments in the field.
