The race to quantum internet is accelerating: IBM and Cisco set 2039 as the target date

IBM and Cisco announced a strategic collaboration Wednesday to build a network of interconnected quantum computers. The project, presented in a joint statement, aims to lay the foundation for a future quantum internet capable of connecting multiple cryogenic machines. The initiative involves new developments in hardware, software, and networks. Both companies anticipate the first prototypes by the end of 2030., with initial demonstrations in the next five years.

An alliance to scale quantum computing beyond individual machines

IBM and Cisco have put forward one of the most ambitious technology projects of the next decade: connect quantum computers to each other to form the first large-scale quantum network. The ultimate goal is to enable distributed computing across multiple quantum processors, operating simultaneously in separate cryogenic environments, which would constitute the basic infrastructure of a future global quantum internet.

According to the announcement, both companies hope to demonstrate a proof of concept towards the end of 2030capable of combining the power of several IBM quantum machines in calculations involving tens or hundreds of thousands of qubitsBy 2035, the goal is even more ambitious: solving problems with trillions of quantum gates distributed across multiple networked computers, a key milestone for applications such as advanced materials design, chemical simulation, or the development of new drugs.

"Bringing quantum computing to a useful scale is not just about building larger individual machines, but also about connecting them.“This collaboration is a crucial step for the networking company,” said Vijoy Pandey, senior vice president of Outshift, Cisco’s innovation unit. With this partnership, the networking company is taking on a vital role: developing the infrastructure capable of transport quantum information without destroying it, a task that involves unprecedented challenges in telecommunications.

IBM, for its part, will contribute its expertise in superconducting quantum processors, which must be kept in giant cryostats at temperatures near absolute zero. Current quantum machines operate as isolated units: extremely powerful, but unable to combine their power. Quantum interconnection promises exponentially increase computing power through entanglement networks.

This approach responds to a widely recognized reality in the industry: scaling quantum machines by adding more qubits to a single device becomes exponentially difficultWhereas a distributed architecture —similar to the internet— would allow the construction of modular, robust, and collaborative systems.

The critical challenges for the future quantum internet

Although the vision is clear, the technical obstacles are enormous. To connect superconducting quantum computers, IBM and Cisco must solve one of the greatest engineering challenges of our time: convert quantum information into signals transmissible by optical fiber without destroying its coherence.

To that end, companies are developing microwave-optical transducersThese are devices capable of transforming microwave qubits into optical photons without losing their quantum state. IBM plans to integrate these transducers into new quantum network units, which will connect directly to their quantum processors.

Cisco, for its part, is working on a very high speed software protocol capable of distributing quantum entanglement between remote machines with sub-nanosecond precisionThese capabilities will require profound innovations in traffic management, synchronization, and quantum error correction at network scale.

Both companies acknowledge that much of this technology It does not yet existTherefore, they will collaborate with academic institutions and research centers such as Fermilab and the Center for Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems. The development will involve advances in photonic materials, quantum optics, network intelligence, and hybrid architectures that combine classical and quantum processors.

The time horizon is long, but realistic: IBM expects to deliver its first fault-tolerant quantum computer in 2029This is an essential requirement for an operational quantum network. From there, the interconnection of several machines would allow for distributed calculations of unprecedented complexity, bringing us closer to the era of practical quantum applications.

An fully developed quantum internetThe technology, planned for the end of the 2030s, would transform how secure data is transmitted. The quantum nature of photons would allow intrinsically inviolable communicationsUltrasensitive distributed sensors to monitor weather, volcanoes or seismic activity, and high-performance quantum networks capable of solving problems impossible for classical computing.

In parallel, the alliance between IBM and Cisco is part of a global race where Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and numerous governments They are competing to lead the quantum infrastructure. The collaboration indicates that the next great technological battle will not only be about building the best quantum computer, but also about build the best quantum network.