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# IBM Connects Two 120-Qubit Processors With 99% State-Transfer Fidelity

**[The Quantum Insider](https://daily.dev/sources/thequantuminsider)** · 8 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

IBM researchers connected two 120-qubit Nighthawk R1 processors using four superconducting cables, showing a path toward modular quantum computers built from multiple chips. The links transferred quantum states with 99% average fidelity, with the best link hitting 99.29%. Full operations between processors, including controlled-Z gates used to create entanglement, averaged 94.75% fidelity. The team also entangled groups of four and six qubits across the chips and tested the links through three warm-up and cooldown cycles without failure. A modeled fix for qubit coherence could push state-transfer fidelity to 99.68-99.77%.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/10/27/ibm-connects-two-120-qubit-processors-with-99-state-transfer-fidelity>

## Questions this post answers

### What fidelity did IBM achieve transferring quantum states between two separate quantum processors?

IBM researchers achieved an average quantum state-transfer fidelity of 99% across four superconducting cable links connecting two 120-qubit Nighthawk R1 processors. All four links reached at least 98.86% fidelity, with the best link hitting 99.29% (uncertainty of 0.07 percentage points), measured using network benchmarking that separates transfer errors from state preparation and measurement errors.

_Engineers tracking modular quantum hardware progress follow benchmark results like this on daily.dev._

### How reliable are controlled-Z gate operations between qubits on different quantum chips?

Complete controlled-Z gate operations between qubits on separate IBM Nighthawk R1 processors averaged 94.75% fidelity, with the best result reaching 96.42% (uncertainty of 0.28 percentage points). This is lower than pure state-transfer fidelity because the gate combines two state transfers, three local two-qubit gates, and additional single-qubit controls, introducing more opportunities for error.

_Those weighing inter-chip quantum gate approaches can follow fidelity benchmarks like these on daily.dev._

### What causes signal loss in superconducting cables used to link quantum processors?

IBM researchers traced cable loss to magnetic fields present while the aluminum cable cooled into its superconducting state; the cable's ability to retain microwave energy declined substantially as that cooling-time magnetic field increased, and changing the field afterward did not reverse the effect. The team added two layers of magnetic shielding as a temporary mitigation, calling the underlying physical mechanism unresolved.

_Researchers debugging superconducting hardware losses can track findings like this on daily.dev._

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- [IEEE-Presented Study Tests Quantum-to-Classical Handoff for Distributed Computing](https://daily.dev/posts/ieee-presented-study-tests-quantum-to-classical-handoff-for-distributed-computing-gcpx3rocm) · The Quantum Insider · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
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Tags: [#quantum-computing](https://daily.dev/tags/quantum-computing), [#ibm](https://daily.dev/tags/ibm)

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