IBM was selected for Stage C of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) on October 7, 2026, moving its proposed quantum-computing approach into independent evaluation of hardware and systems. The phase examines whether systems can be built as specified and perform as designed.
What Stage C evaluates
QBI moves through three stages. Stage A assesses a technical concept; Stage B examines a comprehensive research and development plan, including its risks and mitigation; Stage C shifts the focus to hardware and systems. Independent verification and validation are intended to assess how the technology performs against its design.
Four approaches in the October announcement
The October 7 announcement named four companies for Stage C. Their approaches span distinct hardware architectures, and DARPA evaluates each on its own merits.
| Company | Quantum approach |
| Atom Computing | Neutral atoms |
| Diraq | Silicon CMOS spin qubits |
| IBM | Superconducting processors |
| IonQ | Trapped ions |
IBM’s system expectation and QBI’s 2033 horizon
IBM identifies IBM Quantum Starling as its planned fault-tolerant system and expects its first fault-tolerant system in 2029. That is IBM’s stated expectation. Separately, QBI’s program horizon is 2033: the initiative aims to assess whether a utility-scale quantum computer can be built by then. QBI defines utility in terms of computational value exceeding the system’s cost.
