Zapata Quantum Joins IBM Network

Zapata Quantum, a Boston quantum software company, has joined the IBM Quantum Network to build quantum applications using IBM's machines. The goal is to help organizations identify valuable opportunities for quantum computing.

The partnership will enable Zapata Quantum to use IBM's machines to build software for its clients. This collaboration is not new, as the two companies have worked together before, including a 2025 Nature Biotechnology study where Zapata ran part of its work on IBM hardware to find possible drug candidates aimed at KRAS, a protein linked to several cancers.

IBM aims to deliver its first fault-tolerant quantum computer, which can correct its own errors, by 2029. According to Jonny Olson, Zapata's co-founder and vice-president of strategy, IBM's superconducting machines appeal to customers because they run fast. The rapid progress IBM is making on the path to fault-tolerant quantum computing brings the quantum application gap into sharper focus, said Sumit Kapur, Zapata's chief executive.

## What changed The deal comes a year after Zapata's comeback. The firm, which spun out of Harvard in 2017, re-emerged in September 2025 after a bankruptcy restructuring and now trades on the OTCQB market in the US.

## Why it matters The partnership between Zapata Quantum and IBM is significant because it will help organizations identify valuable opportunities for quantum computing. Zapata Quantum's tool, Quantum Pilot, helps firms pick and build the right projects, and it is built to run on any maker's hardware. The collaboration will feed into this tool, enabling organizations to prepare for the precise moment that quantum gives them real ROI.

The stakes are high, as the rapid progress in quantum computing brings the quantum application gap into sharper focus. The partnership between Zapata Quantum and IBM will help bridge this gap, enabling organizations to harness the power of quantum computing to solve complex problems.