PINQ² has successfully deployed the latest 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron quantum processing unit (QPU) within its IBM Quantum System One, housed at IBM Bromont and operated exclusively by PINQ² for its Quantum Innovation Center members.

Compared to the previous-generation IBM Quantum Eagle processor, PINQ2’s IBM Heron delivers broad performance gains: two-qubit error rates improved by 2×, readout errors by 3×, gate speed by 9×, and layered errors by 4× — making it ready for advanced utility-scale workloads.

The Heron processor is already demonstrating immense value in workloads exceeding 5,000 gate operations. PINQ² members are leveraging it to advance research in aerospace, defence, finance, energy, sustainable development, and healthcare.

“Since its processor upgrade, the Bromont quantum computer now rivals the performance of the most powerful quantum machines available on IBM's cloud. Its accessibility to Quebec researchers makes it an invaluable research tool.”  — Ghislain Lefebvre (Quantum AlgoLab Manager and Chief Partnership Officer)

“From our experience so far, the Heron chip feels noticeably more stable and faster than Eagle, with improved job reliability and fewer mid-run errors. This reliability has been especially valuable for benchmarking quantum machine learning models that depend on consistent qubit performance. Having early access to hardware like Heron has allowed our group to prototype and test algorithms directly on real quantum systems, which keeps our research both practical and ahead of the curve as quantum computing and information science continues to evolve rapidly. As we look to explore large-scale projects, such as training hybrid variational models or performing repeated sampling, future systems will help us obtain even stronger results.” — Trung Q. Duong (Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, Canada Excellence Research Chair, Memorial University, Canada, Founding Director of Quantum Communications and Computing Center (QC3)

“We are excited about deploying one of our best performing IBM Heron processor in PINQ2’s IBM Quantum System One. We look forward to organizations across Canada collaborating with the team at PINQ2 and their innovation center members in order to push the boundaries of quantum algorithm development and move us closer to achieving quantum advantage in energy, aerospace, finance, sustainability, and healthcare.” — Scott Crowder (Vice President, IBM Quantum Adoption and Business Development)

Leading an Ecosystem for Quantum Sustainability Research

PINQ² is a founding member of the Quantum Sustainability Working Group, collaborating with organizations advancing research in sustainable materials and optimization. Recently, Polytechnique Montréal announced a new collaboration with IBM to develop an AI- and quantum-enabled decision-support tool for Canada's forest value chain.

As part of the group, Polytechnique and IVADO Canada will leverage PINQ²'s IBM Quantum System One to model and optimize operations in this sector. The project explores digital twins and multi-objective optimization to improve harvest planning, yield forecasting, and supply chain efficiency — all while balancing cost, energy use, and emissions.