Quantum Hardware Database
IBM Osprey
IBM Osprey, unveiled in November 2022, tripled Eagle's qubit count to 433. It introduced flexible cryogenic wiring that replaced bulky coaxial cables, a key step on the road to Condor and to larger modular systems.
Qubit Count
433
Qubit Type
Superconducting (fixed-frequency transmon qubits)
Architecture
Heavy-hex lattice with multi-level wiring and flexible cryogenic cabling
Released
2022
Gate Error (2Q)
Roughly 1% median two-qubit error in the generation's early calibrations; not improved over Eagle
Coherence Time
Roughly 100 microseconds, similar to later Eagle revisions
Operating Temp
About 15 millikelvin
Cloud Access
Not publicly available
Company
IBM
Overview
IBM Osprey is the 433-qubit processor that sits between Eagle and Condor in IBM's roadmap. Unveiled at the IBM Quantum Summit in November 2022, it more than tripled the qubit count of Eagle in a single year, and it did so in a way that kept the basic chip design unchanged.
Osprey is a useful reminder of how quantum hardware progress often works. Sometimes the main advance is not in the qubits at all, but in the packaging, wiring, and cooling needed to operate them.
History and background
IBM's 2020 roadmap named Eagle, Osprey, and Condor as three successive milestones toward a 1,000-qubit processor. Osprey was the middle step, scheduled for 2022. IBM delivered it in November of that year, together with the announcement of the company's plans for modular quantum systems built from several chips.
Osprey had a shorter shelf life than Eagle. As IBM concluded that quality mattered more than size, its attention moved to Heron, and Osprey became a stepping stone: it demonstrated that flexible cabling and multi-level wiring could scale, and the same techniques appear in Condor and later systems.
How it works
Like Eagle, Osprey uses fixed-frequency transmons arranged on a heavy-hex lattice and performs two-qubit gates with the cross-resonance technique. The big change was in how signals reach the chip. Instead of using conventional coaxial cables for each control line, IBM used flexible cabling that packs many lines into a compact ribbon. This reduces the space and heat load that wiring adds inside the dilution refrigerator.
Fixed couplings remain a limitation. Because each qubit is always coupled to its neighbors, errors from unwanted interactions are higher than in tunable-coupler designs. That is one reason IBM judged that adding more qubits of this type would not by itself deliver more capability, and why Heron's tunable couplers followed.
Connectivity
Heavy-hex: each qubit connects to two or three neighbors
Specifications in detail
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced | November 2022, at the IBM Quantum Summit |
| Predecessor | Eagle (127 qubits) |
| Successor | Condor (1,121 qubits) |
| Key innovation | Flexible, high-density cryogenic cabling |
Key features
- 433 qubits, more than three times Eagle
- Flexible cryogenic cabling that replaced bulky coaxial lines
- Same heavy-hex lattice and cross-resonance gates as Eagle
- Demonstrated that IBM's roadmap cadence could continue to larger chips
Limitations
- Gate fidelity was not improved over Eagle, so deeper circuits did not become possible
- Access for outside users was limited compared with smaller IBM chips
- Superseded within a year by Condor in size and Heron in quality
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2020 | IBM's roadmap names Osprey as the 433-qubit step between Eagle and Condor. |
| November 2022 | Osprey is unveiled with 433 qubits. |
| December 2023 | Condor (1,121 qubits) and Heron arrive, completing the transition from scale-first to quality-first. |
What it is used for
- Demonstrating large-scale control and readout
- Informing the packaging used in Condor and later modular systems
- Research on how noise grows with chip size
How it compares
- Compared with Eagle, Osprey has three times the qubits but similar quality.
- Compared with Condor, it is smaller and shares the same fixed-frequency design.
- Compared with Heron, it has far more qubits but substantially higher error rates.
Technical notes
Osprey's main engineering advance was in signal delivery. Packing more qubits into one cryostat meant replacing the stiff coaxial cables used previously with flexible, high-density cabling. The same approach, extended, is what let Condor reach 1,121 qubits. In IBM's retrospective view, Osprey was a scale-first step before the company turned its attention to quality.
Why it matters
Osprey is the clearest case in IBM's lineup of a chip built to prove that scale was achievable, rather than to maximize performance. Understanding why IBM moved past it helps explain why qubit count alone is a poor measure of progress.
It also shows the value of public roadmaps. Because IBM announced Osprey years in advance and delivered on schedule, outside observers can judge its progress against stated targets.
Frequently asked questions
How many qubits does IBM Osprey have?
433 superconducting transmon qubits.
Is IBM Osprey on the cloud?
Osprey was offered to a limited set of users and has not been part of IBM's general fleet in the way Heron is. Check IBM's current compute resources for details.
Why is Osprey important?
Its flexible cryogenic cabling solved a wiring problem that let IBM scale to Condor's 1,121 qubits.
Is Osprey more powerful than Heron?
Not for running circuits. Heron has fewer qubits but much lower error rates.
What is the difference between Eagle and Osprey?
Osprey has about three times as many qubits and a new wiring approach; its gate quality is about the same as Eagle's.
Keep exploring
- Company profile: IBM
- Related processor: IBM Eagle
- Related processor: IBM Condor
- Related processor: IBM Heron (r1, r2, and r3)
This profile is written for educational purposes and summarizes company announcements, published papers, and vendor specification sheets. Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Figures marked as company-reported have not all been independently verified, and benchmarks differ between vendors, so compare them with care.