IBM to Buy Quantum Research Lab HRL for Undisclosed Amount

By Freddy Sebastian

IBM said it agreed to acquire HRL Laboratories, a private quantum research lab jointly owned by General Motors and Boeing, as the company looks to accelerate its vision in quantum computing.

Financial terms weren't disclosed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of the third quarter.

"The HRL team will help IBM push even farther forward toward the frontiers of quantum innovation," said Jay Gambetta, IBM's director of research and IBM Fellow.

Quantum computing leverages the properties of quantum particles to perform calculations out of reach for a classical computer.

In May, IBM said it was planning to form a new independent subsidiary called Anderon, a foundry to produce the silicon wafers needed to make quantum-computing processors. The venture is seeded by a $1 billion investment from the Trump administration and another $1 billion of IBM's own cash.

The Trump administration also said it was investing another billion dollars across a range of quantum-computing firms through the Commerce Department.

Boeing and GM will continue to partner with IBM on quantum applications and advanced technology development following the transaction.

HRL will enable IBM to innovate in and industrialize promising technologies such as quantum sensing and drive new research into quantum materials.

IBM has spent decades working on the idea of quantum computing, getting increasingly more serious in the past 10 years, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Chief Executive Arvind Krishna is targeting 2029 to deliver the first large-scale quantum computer, the Journal said.

Write to Freddy Sebastian at freddy.sebastian@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 23, 2026 08:09 ET (12:09 GMT)