Switzerland's first IBM Quantum System Two
IBM Research
IBM is putting Switzerland’s first Quantum System Two at ETH Zurich’s Swiss supercomputing center. It gives Swiss researchers and firms access to one of IBM’s most advanced quantum machines.
Based on reporting by IBM Research — read the original for the full story.
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IBM and Lockheed Martin have opened a new quantum innovation hub in Switzerland with ETH Zurich. The anchor is Switzerland’s first IBM Quantum System Two, which is set to run at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre in Lugano by the end of 2026.
This is not just a showroom piece. IBM will operate the machine, ETH Zurich will coordinate access and provide expertise and resources, and CSCS will handle the infrastructure around it: power, cooling, and security. The agreement between IBM and ETH Zurich runs for an initial three years, through 2029.
The hardware itself matters because it is IBM’s flagship quantum system. The Swiss installation will use IBM Quantum Nighthawk r2, a processor with 120 programmable qubits and a reset architecture that IBM says can run more than 100,000 circuits per second. IBM says that is up to 25 times the circuit throughput of earlier Heron-family processors, and that Nighthawk r2 has already shown accurate results on circuits with 7,500 gates.
For Swiss users, the pitch is access. Universities, startups, and companies that join through ETH Zurich will be able to use IBM’s cloud fleet and, once it is deployed, the dedicated system in Switzerland. The planned use cases stretch across chemistry, materials science, optimization, and financial services, with the machine housed alongside the Alps supercomputer at CSCS for work on molecules, materials, and chemical processes that classical computers struggle to simulate.
The hub also doubles as a talent pipeline. Members will get access to IBM Quantum Network and IBM Quantum Platform learning tools, including courses, certifications, workshops, hackathons, and conferences. IBM and Lockheed Martin are also lining up two initial research projects: one on quantum sensing for navigation, the other on additive manufacturing of metallic alloys. And all of this sits on top of a long IBM presence in Switzerland, plus a separate 10-year IBM-ETH Zurich collaboration already aimed at next-generation AI and quantum algorithms.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
Switzerland is doing the sensible thing here: build the hardware, open the doors, and let universities and companies fight over the interesting problems instead of the press release. The real test is whether this becomes a working ecosystem or just another shiny room with cold plumbing. Quantum, as usual, needs less mythology and more access.
Read more about this at: IBM Research