IBM Cisco Quantum Partnership Targets Network

IBM and Cisco announced on Nov. 20, 2025, a partnership to develop a network of quantum computers. They aim to demonstrate multiple networked quantum systems within five years and build a scalable, fault-tolerant quantum network by the early 2030s, marking a step toward a networked quantum infrastructure.

Partnership Scope and Timeline

The companies said in coordinated press releases that they will jointly develop a long-distance network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers. Their initial goal is to demonstrate multiple networked quantum systems within five years, followed by a scalable quantum network by the early 2030s. This effort is positioned as a foundation for a "quantum computing internet" by the late 2030s.

Technical and Strategic Details

IBM’s Quantum blog outlined near-term engineering priorities, focusing on developing transducers and optical links to connect quantum processing units (QPUs) and enable entanglement and communication over kilometer-scale distances. The effort builds on IBM’s collaborations with government and academic partners and will involve external research collaborators to meet early milestones.

Cisco’s official blog described its role in applying networking and optical-link expertise to study how quantum processors can be linked and to explore distributed quantum computing architectures. The companies framed the initiative as aiming to establish a fault-tolerant quantum network. Executives said combining IBM’s quantum development ecosystem with Cisco’s networking capabilities creates a multi-decade research horizon and a coordination point for future infrastructure and standards.

The announcements made no reference to regulatory filings, government approvals, or formal antitrust reviews.