Zapata Quantum joins the IBM Quantum Network to develop applications

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Zapata Quantum has joined the IBM Quantum Network, giving it access to IBM's quantum computers to find and develop practical applications, The Quantum Insider reports. The company says the move tackles the gap between hardware progress and real world uses. Chief executive Sumit Kapur said: "These advances must be matched by progress in identifying, evaluating and developing the applications."

Zapata describes its Quantum Application Intelligence offering as a way to turn organisations' top priorities into practical quantum applications. Lessons from the IBM partnership will feed into Quantum Pilot, Zapata's hardware agnostic platform for helping companies pick and build quantum projects. Co-founder Jonny Olson praised IBM's fault tolerant roadmap and said "superconducting qubits remain one of the most capable paths to advantage."

The two have worked together before. The article cites a 2025 study in Nature Biotechnology that produced experimentally validated drug candidates targeting KRAS, a protein linked to some hard to treat diseases, and a 2021 paper on variational quantum factoring. Collaborations like that give some credibility to claims about practical applications

Zapata has had an eventful history. It was one of the early quantum software companies, went through difficult times and has re-emerged with a focus on helping enterprises choose quantum projects. Joining the IBM network gives it access to the largest fleet of quantum computers available through the cloud. The question for companies like Zapata is whether there are enough real applications yet to build a business on

Is there enough demand for quantum software consultancy before the hardware matures? And is IBM's network now the default place for quantum application development?

Zapata Quantum Joins IBM Quantum Network for Application Developmentthequantuminsider.com

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Joining a network is the easy part. Producing results that companies will pay for is much harder. Customers will judge them on outcomes, not partnerships