Shares of International Business Machines (IBM) surged to a record high Wednesday after the tech giant unveiled major quantum computing breakthroughs at its Quantum Developer Conference, signaling a leap toward commercial quantum advantage by 2026 and fault-tolerant quantum systems by 2029.
IBM stock climbed nearly 4 percent intraday to an all-time high of USD324.90, before closing 0.4 percent higher, extending its 44 percent rally this year.
The company unveiled the IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor, built to support high-performing quantum software and capable of handling 30 percent more complex circuits than its predecessor. It is expected to reach users by late 2025. IBM also introduced Quantum Loon, a platform that integrates all necessary hardware for future fault-tolerant quantum machines.
“These milestones put IBM firmly on the path to delivering useful quantum computing,” said Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and Director of IBM Research.
Momentum spilled over to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), whose shares jumped 9 percent after Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su declared at a briefing for analysts that AI demand is “insatiable.” AMD has been collaborating with IBM on quantum-centric supercomputing, a hybrid approach that blends quantum and classical processing.
The announcements build on IBM’s Starling roadmap, revealed in June, which targets quantum systems performing 20,000 times more operations than today’s machines.
Quantum computers, which process multiple possibilities simultaneously, could revolutionize drug discovery, materials science, and optimization problems, marking one of the most significant computing shifts since the dawn of AI.
IBM’s steady advances and bullish investor response underscore growing confidence that quantum’s commercial era may arrive sooner than expected.
