Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11IBM’s September 2020 roadmap targeted a quantum processor called Condor with more than 1,000 qubits by the end of 2023. IBM’s contemporaneous explainer specified 1,121 qubits, and the company reported that Condor reached that count in 2023. The milestone met the stated chip-scale target; it does not, by itself, show that the processor delivered useful quantum advantage.
What did IBM’s 2020 quantum roadmap promise?
On September 15, 2020, IBM announced a plan to scale its quantum processors, naming Condor as a device with more than 1,000 qubits targeted for the end of 2023. IBM’s roadmap announcement called the target a 1,000-plus-qubit processor. A same-day IBM Newsroom explainer gave the planned Condor count as 1,121 qubits.
That was a company roadmap, not an independent forecast or a guarantee of a particular practical result. IBM also described engineering work needed to support larger systems, including development of a large dilution refrigerator. The 2020 post itself notes that it reflects developments at that time and points readers to IBM’s subsequently updated roadmap.
Did IBM build Condor by 2023?
IBM reported in its 2023 annual research letter that Condor had 1,121 qubits. On IBM’s account, the processor reached the count stated in its 2020 explainer during the target year. The source is IBM’s own retrospective; the cited material does not provide an independent performance evaluation.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
The timeline shows how the target developed:
| Year | IBM milestone or statement |
|---|---|
| 2020 | IBM targeted a 1,000-plus-qubit Condor processor for the end of 2023; its explainer specified 1,121 qubits. IBM Quantum; IBM Newsroom. |
| 2021 | IBM announced Eagle, a 127-qubit processor. IBM described the first Eagle as an exploratory device available through IBM Cloud to select IBM Quantum Network members, rather than a consumer product. IBM Newsroom. |
| 2022 | IBM said it had delivered earlier roadmap targets including Eagle and continued to state that it intended to introduce Condor, its first universal processor with more than 1,000 qubits, in 2023. IBM Quantum. |
| 2023 | IBM reported Condor at 1,121 qubits and described Heron as a 133-qubit chip with tunable couplers. IBM Research. |
| 2024 | IBM’s later roadmap account says the company released a Heron chip capable of running 5,000 gates. This is a subsequent milestone, not part of the original Condor promise. IBM Quantum. |
What is IBM Condor, and what does its qubit count tell you?
Condor is IBM’s large-scale quantum processor: the name refers to a chip, and its 1,121-qubit figure describes the number of qubits IBM reported for that processor. It is not a measure of how many conventional calculations the chip can perform, how accurate its results are, or whether it outperforms classical computers on a useful task.
IBM’s technical discussion of Eagle treats scale as one processor metric alongside Quantum Volume and Circuit Layer Operations Per Second (CLOPS). Comparisons also depend on qubit and gate quality, circuit depth, connectivity, packaging, and whether a claim concerns an individual chip, the complete system, or results demonstrated on a specific task.
Rank #2
Accordingly, a larger qubit count alone does not establish quantum advantage. The cited IBM materials report Condor’s scale but do not establish that Condor by itself produced broadly useful quantum advantage or provide independent measured performance figures for that conclusion.
Why were the roadmap milestones more than a chip-count target?
Scaling quantum hardware required work across the processor and the surrounding system. IBM’s roadmap discussed specialized cryogenic cooling, while its technical account of Eagle addressed processor packaging, connectivity, control hardware, and system scaling. A qubit total is therefore one engineering milestone, not a complete description of a deployable quantum computer or its performance.
The later roadmap also puts Condor in context: IBM says it focused on single-chip scaling from 2020 to 2023 and debuted Heron in 2023. In its 2023 account, IBM discussed Condor’s scale alongside the smaller Heron chip’s quality-oriented design, including tunable couplers. The generations illustrate why chip size and processor quality should be considered separately.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was Condor a consumer product?
No. The IBM materials describe Condor as research hardware within specialized quantum systems, not as a chip offered for ordinary consumers to buy. IBM’s limited exploratory cloud access statement applied to its first Eagle processor and select IBM Quantum Network members; it should not be read as a statement about Condor’s availability. IBM references Qiskit, IBM Quantum cloud services, and learning resources for people interested in the field, but access terms can vary.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
