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IBM today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire HRL Laboratories, LLC (HRL), a flagship research and development institution. HRL is a private company jointly owned by Boeing and General Motors. Both Boeing and GM will continue to partner with IBM on quantum applications and advanced technology development following the transaction.
HRL's advanced expertise in silicon-spin qubit engineering will complement and extend IBM's long-term mission to scale increasingly powerful quantum computers and accelerate its quantum vision. Superconducting qubits and spin qubits both leverage state-of-the art silicon fabrication. This shared foundation is amongst the reasons why these two modalities offer credible paths to scaling quantum technologies.
"The HRL team will help IBM push even farther forward toward the frontiers of quantum innovation," said Jay Gambetta, IBM's Director of Research and IBM Fellow. "This talented group of researchers brings a broad portfolio of technologies that will strengthen IBM's long-term plans to deliver useful quantum computing to the world, bringing together advances across quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum networking to enable the applications of the future."
"Joining IBM is the natural next chapter for what we have built at HRL, where our team has dedicated years to exploring paths to how future quantum computers could be built at scales that today seem impossible," said Rob Vasquez, President and Chief Executive Officer at HRL "We now look forward to leveraging IBM's industry leadership and working alongside their world-class talent on fundamental infrastructure to take this vision forward. Additionally, our cutting-edge physical and information science innovations will combine with their advanced research capabilities to deliver an unmatched suite of technology solutions for our commercial and government customers."
HRL will also enable IBM to innovate in and industrialize promising technologies such as quantum sensing and drive new research into quantum materials. This includes ultra precise quantum sensors capable of detecting subtle physical phenomena and capturing finely tuned measurements for life sciences, navigation, defense, and scientific applications. Combined with additional capabilities in cryogenics, control electronics, qubit interconnects, and packaging, IBM anticipates that HRL's technical breakthroughs will help fuel its quantum program for decades to come.
Additionally, HRL has developed innovations in novel quantum materials that have the potential to unlock better semiconductors and more sensitive sensors – all of which can optimize the performance and scalability of a wide range of quantum technologies.
Beyond its leadership in quantum computing, HRL brings deep expertise in advanced sensors, high-speed and high-power communications, electronics, advanced manufacturing, and materials science, developed through decades of research and development for both commercial and U.S. government customers. HRL's broad technology portfolio will complement IBM's innovation leadership and help accelerate the development of next-generation computing, communications, and mission-critical systems.
Advancing Quantum Computers for Generations to Come
IBM continues to define the direction for the industry with superconducting qubit-based architectures, including breakthroughs in error correction and new algorithms enabling quantum computers to run harder problems more efficiently. IBM's roadmap to deliver the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers is clear and on course. This includes delivering IBM Quantum Starling by 2029, which will be 20,000 times more powerful than today's quantum computers and capable of running 100 million quantum operations. In the mid-2030s, Starling will be followed by the even more powerful Blue Jay quantum computer, projected to be capable of 1 billion quantum operations.
As IBM looks to further extend quantum computing, HRL will bring robust knowledge of silicon‑based spin qubit platforms and surrounding infrastructure that could offer new insights into how to best scale quantum computers into the next decade.
In May 2026, IBM further expanded its global quantum leadership when the company announced it would establish Anderon, the world's first pure-play quantum wafer foundry. As a standalone IBM company, Anderon is being created with the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce to enable scalable, consistent, and agile manufacturing for a broad range of quantum computing modalities and companies. The acquisition of HRL offers an opportunity to partner even more closely with Anderon, including potential plans to develop spin qubit manufacturing to scale quantum manufacturing and enable faster learning cycles.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, and IBM's acquisition of HRL is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The transaction is anticipated to close by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
