The Two-Track Gambit: IBM's HRL Acquisition and the End of Single-Modality Quantum Bets

IBM's quantum roadmap has been a single-lane highway: superconducting qubits, error correction milestones, Starling by 2029, Blue Jay in the mid-2030s. On July 23, the company added a second lane — signing a definitive agreement to acquire HRL Laboratories, the Malibu R&D shop jointly owned by Boeing and General Motors.

The deal brings silicon-spin qubit expertise under the same roof as IBM's superconducting program, echoing Google's move earlier this year to pursue neutral atoms alongside its primary stack. Financial terms were not disclosed; closing is expected by the end of Q3 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

Why two tracks, and why now

Superconducting qubits and spin qubits share a silicon fabrication foundation — a detail Jay Gambetta, IBM's director of research, emphasized in the company's announcement. HRL's spin platforms will not replace IBM's near-term superconducting roadmap; Gambetta told Reuters the spin work becomes most relevant after the Blue Jay system targeted for 2033.

In the nearer term, HRL's California team will begin producing chips at IBM's New York facilities. Gambetta also said IBM has "a parallel path" of spin-based technology "that we'll make available very soon."

Beyond qubits: sensing, materials, packaging

IBM framed the acquisition as more than a qubit play. HRL contributes quantum sensing, cryogenics, control electronics, qubit interconnects, and advanced packaging. Boeing and GM will continue partnering with IBM on quantum applications after the transaction.

Anderon and the manufacturing bet

In May 2026, IBM announced Anderon, a standalone quantum wafer foundry backed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The HRL acquisition creates a path to spin-qubit manufacturing inside that ecosystem.

HRL itself published a Nature milestone on July 29: a silicon quantum processor with an on-chip control system that autonomously ran error correction in cryogenic conditions.

Competitive context

The race is no longer about picking one qubit modality and betting the company on it. IBM, Google, and Microsoft each now pursue multi-track strategies as the industry converges on fault tolerance at scale.

IBM's Starling target — 100 million quantum operations by 2029 — remains unchanged. What changed is the portfolio of technologies IBM believes can get there.

### Sources

• IBM Newsroom — IBM to Acquire HRL Laboratories to Power the Future of Quantum (July 23, 2026)
• Reuters (via AOL) — IBM buys HRL Laboratories in shift to two-track quantum computing strategy (July 23, 2026)
• HRL Laboratories — HRL demonstrates a silicon quantum processor that runs itself (July 29, 2026)