IBM acquires quantum computing research lab HRL
IBM Corp. today announced plans to acquire quantum computing research company HRL Laboratories LLC.
IBM is buying the lab from General Motors Co. and Boeing Co. It didn’t disclose the purchase price. The company expects to close the transaction by the end of the quarter.
Malibu-based HRL launched more than 80 years ago. In that time frame, the lab’s researchers have made major contributions to fields such as optics, artificial intelligence and satellite propulsion. HRL also develops quantum processor designs, which is the main reason IBM has decided to swoop in.
The technology giant is a major player in the quantum hardware market. Last year, it debuted a 120-qubit chip called Nighthawk that is 25,000 times faster than its previous-generation processors. IBM hopes to achieve even bigger performance gains over the next decade. In 2033, it plans to release a system called Blue Jay with 200,000 times the processing capacity of current hardware.
