IBM has made significant progress in its efforts to create commercially viable quantum computers. The company has achieved a major breakthrough in quantum error correction by successfully running its advanced algorithms on standard AMD FPGA chips. This innovation could speed up the timeline for practical quantum computing and change how classical and quantum systems work together.
**Tackling Quantum’s Greatest Challenge: Error Rates**
Quantum computers offer a huge increase in computing power, but they are very delicate. Even the slightest environmental disturbance—a vibration, temperature change, or electromagnetic interference—can cause errors in qubits, which are the building blocks of quantum information. Reducing these qubit error rates has been a major challenge in making quantum computers reliable for commercial use. Unlike traditional digital bits that can be either 0 or 1, qubits can exist in superpositions, which complicates error detection and correction. IBM’s latest research, detailed in a paper submitted to arXiv, outlines a promising path forward. The company ran its quantum error-correction algorithm on standard AMD field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)—specialized chips that can be reconfigured for specific tasks—and did so ten times faster than what is necessary to keep up with a quantum processor.
**A Leap Toward IBM’s 2029 Quantum Ambition**
This achievement is a major step toward IBM’s ambitious 2029 goal of building a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, codenamed Starling. Rebecca Krauthamer, CEO and co-founder of QuSecure, a company specializing in quantum-safe cybersecurity, highlighted the importance of this breakthrough. “IBM is known for meeting its roadmaps in quantum computing,” she said. “This is significant because it seems the company is a year ahead of schedule regarding error correction.” The timing is crucial. Quantum error correction has long been considered the bottleneck preventing the development of scalable, useful quantum systems. By showing that mass-produced classical chips can perform error correction quickly enough, IBM may have opened the door to faster development, lower costs, and easier integration with current hardware.
**From BP+OSD to Relay-BP: A Smarter Decoder**
To understand the significance of IBM’s achievement, it’s essential to know how error correction works in quantum computing. Earlier this year, IBM introduced an error-correcting algorithm built on a decoder called BP+OSD. This decoder acts as the “brain” next to a quantum computer, monitoring qubit states, identifying possible errors, and suggesting corrections based on probabilistic models. However, this approach had two main issues, as explained by Diego Ruiz, a physicist at Alice & Bob, a French company working on fault-tolerant quantum computers using “cat qubits.” “It wasn’t very accurate, so your error-correcting code wasn’t as efficient as it could be,” Ruiz said. “But the main problem was it wasn’t fast enough, which could exponentially slow down your quantum computer.” To tackle these issues, IBM developed a new decoder called Relay-BP that is both quicker and more precise. When IBM applied Relay-BP on AMD’s FPGA chips, the results were impressive. The system executed error-correction operations at speeds well beyond what was required to maintain quantum coherence. “This is an important result because it removes one potential bottleneck that could have limited these better codes,” noted Ruiz.
**The Classical-Quantum Partnership: A Symbiotic Future**
IBM’s success highlights an important truth: classical computing and quantum computing are closely connected. Izhar Medalsy, CEO of Quantum Elements, believes that classical processors will remain crucial for managing, stabilizing, and optimizing quantum systems for the foreseeable future. This cooperation between the classical and quantum realms could shape the next phase of computing evolution. IBM’s work shows that classical processors, especially configurable ones like AMD’s FPGAs, can effectively simulate, manage, and speed up quantum processes that previously needed dedicated hardware. Simon Fried, VP of Business Development at Classiq, a developer of quantum software based in Tel Aviv, agrees. “Running a quantum error correction algorithm efficiently on AMD CPUs shows progress in modeling and control software,” Fried said. “It highlights closer integration between classical and quantum layers, which is necessary for scaling.” However, Fried warned that this achievement does not immediately lead to quicker hardware development. “The crucial factors remain hardware-related—stable logical qubits, error thresholds, and scalable architectures,” he added. “A useful fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029 is possible but still relies more on hardware progress than on classical simulations.”
**Quantum Acceleration or Incremental Progress? Experts Debate**
Opinions vary on how transformative IBM’s breakthrough will be in the near future. Roger Grimes, CISO advisor at cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, holds an optimistic view of advancements in quantum computing overall. “I believe practical quantum computers will be with us by next year,” he said. “Any further improvements, including what IBM has developed, just speeds up an already unstoppable trend.” Grimes argues that many companies—from Google and IonQ to Rigetti and D-Wave—are competing to create usable quantum systems, making IBM’s progress just “one drip in a very large bucket.” While he recognizes the value of cost-effective error-correction hardware, he is skeptical that it will sway early adopters who are already investing heavily in next-generation machines. “Early-adopting companies won’t be concerned about even tens of millions of dollars in price differences,” he stated.
**Strengthening Industry Collaboration: IBM and AMD Deepen Ties**
Another interesting aspect of IBM’s announcement is its growing partnership with AMD. Luke Yang, equity analyst at Morningstar Research Services, believes that partnering IBM’s quantum systems with AMD’s FPGAs makes both technical and economic sense. “It makes sense for AMD’s FPGAs to become the first type of chip paired with IBM’s quantum systems,” Yang wrote. “Their relatively low production volume makes them ideal for testing.” While FPGAs are more expensive than traditional CPUs or GPUs, they are cheaper and more flexible than specialized quantum chips like IBM’s own Heron processors. Integrating them into the control stack could help lower the overall costs of quantum systems and speed up experimentation. However, Yang cautioned that the broader adoption of quantum computing still faces commercial challenges. “We do not see this breakthrough alone leading to widespread adoption, given the lack of commercially viable use cases for the existing technology,” he added.
**Quantum Security: The Race Against Time**
Beyond hardware and economics, IBM’s progress has serious implications for cybersecurity. Philip George, Executive Technical Strategist at Merlin Cyber, warns that IBM’s use of readily available FPGA chips could speed up the development of cryptographically relevant quantum computers—machines capable of breaking today’s encryption. “If this method proves effective, we could face an even tighter deadline for nations and industries to adopt post-quantum cryptographic standards,” George said. “We might already be out of time.” Jason Soroko, Senior Fellow at Sectigo, shared this concern while also pointing out a silver lining. “Running a real-time quantum error-handling loop on off-the-shelf AMD FPGAs means the classical control stack for quantum systems is advancing and becoming cheaper,” he said. “That lowers barriers for scaling and brings these systems closer to regular data center practices.” However, he warned that using common hardware introduces new vulnerabilities. “Once control shifts to commodity gear, the attack surface expands—from firmware and drivers to orchestration software,” Soroko explained.
**Signals of Rapid Progress: The Quantum Countdown Accelerates**
For industry observers, IBM’s announcement adds to a growing sense of urgency regarding quantum acceleration. Krauthamer from QuSecure noted that the pace of breakthroughs—from IBM’s milestones to new guidance from the U.S. Department of Defense and NIST on post-quantum cryptography—is picking up quickly. “What used to be rare signals about an impending threat have become regular signals appearing weekly,” she said. “Timelines are closing in on the day when a quantum computer can break all current public key cryptography systems.” If these warnings turn out to be true, both governments and private companies face an urgent task: migrate billions of digital systems to quantum-safe cryptographic standards before quantum computers reach their full potential.
**The Bottom Line: Classical Chips, Quantum Future**
IBM’s ability to run a quantum error-correction algorithm on standard AMD chips may seem like a minor technical detail, but it marks a fundamental shift in how the quantum era will develop. By demonstrating that typical classical hardware can manage quantum-scale corrections, IBM has taken a significant step toward creating scalable, cost-effective, and reliable quantum computing. Whether we will see practical quantum computers by 2026 or 2029 is still uncertain. But one thing is clear: the barriers between classical and quantum computing are disappearing rapidly, and IBM is helping to lead the way toward that hybrid future.
