IBM Selected for Stage C of DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative

IBM announced on October 7, 2026, that it was selected for Stage C, the third phase of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). The initiative, led by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, uses independent experts to test and measure quantum hardware, technology, systems engineering and architectures as it assesses whether companies can build a fault-tolerant quantum computer. IBM says it has progressed through the first two stages, which assessed research and development plans and risk-mitigation approaches.

DARPA launched QBI in 2024 to determine whether an industrially useful fault-tolerant quantum computer can be built by 2033. The initiative defines an industrially useful system as one whose computational value exceeds its cost. IBM, separately, says it expects to deliver its first fault-tolerant system in 2029. That is IBM’s stated company timeline, distinct from QBI’s 2033 goal.