IBM and Lockheed Martin to Open Joint Quantum Computing Center in Switzerland

IBM and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin are partnering to launch a quantum innovation hub in Switzerland, according to a recent announcement, extending a collaboration between the two companies that stretches back more than a decade in quantum computing research.

The new facility will focus on applying quantum computing to complex engineering and industrial problems, building on Lockheed Martin’s earlier work with IBM’s quantum systems. Lockheed Martin was among the first major corporations to experiment with quantum computing, having worked with quantum annealing systems before later adopting IBM’s gate-based quantum platforms for tasks such as verifying aircraft software and modeling materials.

Switzerland has positioned itself as a European hub for quantum research, anchored by institutions such as ETH Zurich and CERN, and the region hosts a growing cluster of quantum hardware and software startups. For IBM, the hub represents a continued expansion of its quantum ecosystem, which includes cloud-based quantum access for researchers, universities, and corporate partners across multiple countries.

Quantum computing remains in an early commercial phase, with current machines still limited by error rates and qubit counts. However, defense contractors, aerospace manufacturers, and financial institutions have been investing in early access programs to build expertise ahead of broader commercial availability, targeting applications in optimization, materials simulation, and cryptography.

In market trading, IBM shares rose 0.4% to $234.89, up from a previous close of $233.96, valuing the company at roughly $219.9 billion. The Technology-sector company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Separately, Quantum Corporation, a data management company whose name frequently draws investor attention during quantum computing news cycles, traded down 1.13% at $24.24 from a previous close of $24.52, with a market cap of about $955.3 million. The company specializes in unstructured data storage and management software and systems, including its StorNext file storage platform, and is not affiliated with IBM’s quantum computing program.

The Swiss hub adds to a series of international quantum installations IBM has established in recent years as it seeks to place quantum systems on-site at partner institutions rather than offering access exclusively through the cloud.

What to watch

• Details on when the Swiss hub will become operational and which IBM quantum system will be deployed on-site.
• Announcements of additional industrial, academic, or government partners joining the Swiss facility.
• IBM’s upcoming quarterly results, which may include commentary on its quantum and infrastructure segments.
• Progress reports from Lockheed Martin on applied quantum workloads in aerospace engineering and software verification.

Source: original release