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Quantum computing04 Nov 2026 · 2 min

Quantum computing in 2026: what businesses should do now

AI · not reviewedWritten with AI from the sources listed, not yet editorially reviewed.

Fault-tolerant quantum computers are announced for 2029 to 2030 — the migration of encryption has to start long before.

The essentials in four points

  1. IBM expects the first examples of quantum advantage in 2026 on systems coupled with high-performance computers and is targeting large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers by 2029 (vendor statement).
  2. IBM’s Nighthawk processor is to run circuits with 7,500 gates on up to three 120-qubit modules in 2026, and 15,000 gates in 2028 (vendor figures).
  3. Quantinuum offers its systems as hardware-as-a-service in the cloud or on premises and has announced a universal, fully fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030 (vendor statement).
  4. Germany’s interior and digital ministries and the BSI have issued a national guideline on post-quantum cryptography: high-risk systems should be migrated by the end of 2030 at the latest, most others by 2035.

What this means for businesses

For most businesses, quantum computing in 2026 is a research and pilot topic, not a production tool. Cryptography, by contrast, is urgent: build an inventory of your encryption, ask suppliers for post-quantum plans and design systems so that algorithms can be swapped.

Sources · 3

  1. IBM · 2026IBM Quantum Roadmap 2026
  2. Quantinuum · 10 Sept 2024Quantinuum Unveils Accelerated Roadmap to Achieve Universal, Fully Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing by 2030
  3. The Quantum Insider · 16 Oct 2026Germany Publishes National Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration Guideline

Links open the original source in a new tab. Figures from company statements are labelled as vendor or company figures in the text.

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