IBM Diversifies Qubit Fabrication with HRL Acquisition

The race to scale quantum computing is expanding beyond single-technology bets toward a more diverse array of fabrication paths. According to reporting from Ars Technica, IBM has acquired HRL Laboratories, a company that specializes in quantum dots holding single electrons.

While IBM has previously focused on transmon qubits controlled via microwave pulses, the HRL technology offers a different scaling path. By trapping electrons in small patches of silicon, HRL can control qubit spins electronically. This eliminates the need for the extensive microwave-carrying cabling typically required in refrigeration systems. HRL's system utilizes a control processor optimized for low-power, low-temperature operations—consuming under 3.5 watts—which communicates with the qubit chip via a superconducting ribbon cable. HRL reported that its 18-qubit system achieved a logical error rate of less than 1 percent.

IBM Director of Research Jay Gambetta told Ars Technica that the decision to integrate this tech stems from a belief in silicon technology, noting that both superconducting qubits and spins are built on silicon. Gambetta indicated that maintaining both paths in parallel provides flexibility, suggesting that HRL's technology could eventually operate alongside IBM's existing systems to serve different functions in error correction codes, such as memory or magic state creation.