Quantum computers can get colder than deep space — Here's how they stay running

Why do they need to be so cold, anyway?

By Nimrod Aldea Oct. 25, 2026 9:30 am EST Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

One of the coldest places in the universe isn't on some distant planet or at an empty point between galaxies. It's here on Earth, inside a lab. Deep space sits at about 2.7 Kelvin (454.8 degrees below zero in Fahrenheit), in the leftover glow of the Big Bang, according to Space.com. IBM's latest modular cryogenic system is cooled below 15 millikelvin, which the company describes as more than 180 times colder than deep space. That's a hair above absolute zero.