QCBRIEF
Swiss universities, startups, and industry get a shared on ramp to one of IBM's most advanced quantum systems, run by IBM with access coordinated by ETH Zurich.
IBM and Lockheed Martin are installing Switzerland's first IBM Quantum System Two at ETH Zurich, targeted to be operational by the end of 2026. The system, IBM's modular quantum computing platform rather than a single chip, will sit at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano, an ETH Zurich campus in southern Switzerland. IBM says the machine will run on its Quantum Nighthawk r2 processor.
IBM operates the machine. ETH Zurich coordinates access for Swiss universities, startups, and industry. Stated research domains are chemistry, materials science, optimization, and financial services, alongside workforce and talent initiatives. Lockheed Martin contributes work in quantum sensing and additive manufacturing, layered on its existing strategic collaboration with IBM.
The hub also extends IBM's March 2026 algorithm partnership with ETH Zurich.
Switzerland becomes the third country outside the US to host an IBM Quantum System Two, following RIKEN in Japan (2025-06-23) and the Basque Country in Spain (2025-10-14). What remains undisclosed: pricing, access terms, and how much capacity Swiss users outside ETH will actually get.