Inside IBM’s New Quantum Computing Fridges, 180 Times Colder Than Deep Space - Nautilus | Science

AdvertisementTechnologyInside IBM’s New Quantum Computing Fridges, 180 Times Colder Than Deep SpaceThese bulky units can link qubits together like never beforeDNBy David Nield7:00 AM CDT on September 11, 2026Add Nautilus to GoogleTo advance the capabilities of quantum computers, scientists need to make the delicate and incredibly power-demanding systems more stable, as well as scale up the processing power. In the next decade, IBM plans to address both of these issues, starting with its new Modular Cryogenic Systems, or “super refridgerators.”Featured VideoPut together, two of these hefty fridge units measure more than 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide, large enough to host thousands of quantum chips stacked together like LEGOs. To understand the technical requirements of quantum computing, you need to first understand what makes it different from standard computing. Classical computing relies on a binary of 1s and 0s. Quantum computing uses qubits (that is, quantum bits) instead, which are neither “on” nor “off” but somewhere in the middle. That simple but fundamental change results in an exponential increase in processing-power demand.AdvertisementThe cryogenic modules IBM just introduced keep qubits just a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, in the ultra-cold, isolated conditions that the qubits need to operate in—free from heat, vibrations, radiation, and other interference. The temperature in these boxes is more than 180 times colder than deep space. In fact, it’s so cold that the refrigeration units take around five days to reach the required temperature.Read more: “They Probed Quantum Entanglement While Everyone Shrugged”Also crucial to the tech are L-coupler superconductor cables that connect the qubits inside the modular system. These connectors can transmit quantum information between boxes without the qubits leaving the cryogenic environment and destroying its quantumness.Later this year, the first working processor chip (containing hundreds of qubits) will be installed inside one of these fridges so that testing can begin. By next year, the plan is to have a larger computer made up of at least 1,000 programmable qubits. Then, before the end of the decade, IBM hopes to construct a system of 12 cryogenic fridges connected together, and 50 connected processor chips working in tandem.AdvertisementThe Starling system will be made up of 12 of these connected units. Credit: IBMThat increasing volume of chips theoretically resolves another quantum-computing problem—having enough qubits working in tandem to correct for faults and inconsistencies, something that tends to happen with individual qubits even when they’re in an ultra-cold state.With increased fault tolerance and fewer errors, the quantum computers of the future can run for extended periods of time without the stop-start-reset flow that currently plagues quantum experiments.What’s the advantage to improving quantum computing? AdvertisementIn theory, quantum computers will be able to tackle the most difficult problems in science, including molecular chemistry (how biology works at the tiniest level), drug development and testing, and materials science—including developing the computer and network components of the future.Yes, computers will take up whole rooms again, but it’s for a paradigm-shifting technological cause. Enjoying Nautilus? Subscribe to our free newsletter.Lead Image: IBMAdvertisementAdvertisementShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on RedditShare on EmailShare on BlueskyDNDavid NieldDavid Nield has written about science and technology for more than 20 years. His work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including Wired, Popular Science, The Guardian, and Gizmodo. Stay in touchSign up for our free newsletterEmailSign UpRelated StoriesTechnologyAI Engineers Are Having Their Oppenheimer “Destroyer of Worlds” MomentA cascade of regret and apocalyptic short-term forecasts hit social media this weekKristen FrenchSeptember 10, 2026TechnologyNASA’s New Experimental Jet Promises Supersonic Flight Without the Sonic BoomsSneaking past the sound barrierJake CurrieSeptember 8, 2026TechnologyYour Boss Is Watching YouAssisted by AI, companies have more options than ever to track employees, minute by minute, keystroke by keystroke. Does this have the desired effect?Chris WoolstonSeptember 5, 2026TechnologyYour Smartwatch May Not be as Smart as You Think It IsThey’re great at telling time, thoughJake CurrieSeptember 4, 2026TechnologyAI Can See Optical IllusionsAnd it might teach us about our own brainsJake CurrieAugust 21, 2026TechnologyAI Made Me Look Foolish. Then I LearnedAncient alchemy has a lot to teach us about chatbotsPaul M. SutterAugust 6, 2026