IBM unveiled its path to build the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, setting the stage for practical and scalable quantum computing.

Delivered by 2029, IBM Quantum Starling will be built in a new IBM Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, New York and is expected to perform 20,000 times more operations than today’s quantum computers.

To represent the state of an IBM Starling would require the memory of more than a quindecillion (10^48) of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

With Starling, users will be able to fully explore the complexity of its quantum states, which are beyond the limited properties able to be accessed by current quantum computers.

IBM, which already operates a large, global fleet of quantum computers, is releasing a new Quantum Development Roadmap that outlines a viable and definitive plan to build out a practical, fault-tolerant quantum computer.

“IBM is charting the next frontier in quantum computing,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO OF IBM, in a statement. “Our expertise across mathematics, physics and engineering is paving the way for a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer — one that will solve real-world challenges and unlock immense possibilities for business.”

A large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer with hundreds or thousands of logical qubits could run hundreds of millions to billions of operations, which could accelerate time and cost efficiencies in fields such as drug development, materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization.

Starling will be able to access the com...