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Parts of the IBM Quantum System Two are seen at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center on June 6, 2025 in Yorktown Heights, New York.

Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images

IBM on Tuesday announced a roadmap to develop a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer called Quantum Starling.

Part of the company’s plan involves the new IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor, which is set to release later this year, according to a blog post announcing the details.

“Unlocking the full promise of quantum computing will require a device capable of running larger, deeper circuits with hundreds of millions of gates operating on hundreds of qubits, at least,” the company said in a blog post. “More than that, it will require a device capable of correcting errors and preventing them from spreading throughout the system. … it will require a fault-tolerant quantum computer.

Fault tolerance refers to the system’s ability to correct and deal with errors.

The quantum race accelerated this year after Google announced its breakthrough quantum chip “Willow” in December. Microsoft rolled out its first quantum chip Majorana 1 in February, and Amazon followed a week later with its “Ocelot” chip.

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Quantum computing has received more attention and investment in recent years as experts say they are getting closer to a device that can actually solve problems faster than a traditional computer based on semiconductors.

Researchers say a working quantum computer will be a useful tool to simulate complicated physics or do math that could decipher encrypted data.

Quantum Starling will be built at the IBM Poughkeepsie Lab in New York.

IBM’s new roadmap sets a timeline for building the components needed in the build, with a series of processors and adapters all named with the bird theme.

This year the company is building the Quantum Loon chip, followed by the Quantum Kookaburra, a quantum processor module, in 2026, the blog post said. The Quantum Cockatoo adapter is set for 2027.

The Quantum Nighthawk processor will replace the company’s Quantum Heron processor, the company said in the post. IBM said Nighthawk can run quantum circuits with 5,000 gates, like the Heron, but plans to boost it to 15,000 gates by 2028.

— CNBC’s Kif Leswing contributed to this report.

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Trump to host tech CEOs over dinner for inaugural event in renovated Rose Garden

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Trump to host tech CEOs over dinner for inaugural event in renovated Rose Garden

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to the Rose Garden of the White House to hold a signing ceremony for the Take it Down Act, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 19, 2025.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

U.S. President Trump will host two dozen high-profile tech and business leaders for an inaugural event in the White House’s renovated Rose Garden on Thursday. 

Invitees include Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and OpenAI founder Sam Altman, according to a list confirmed by a White House official. 

The meeting is expected to be held over dinner after a separate White House event on artificial intelligence hosted by first lady Melania Trump.

The gathering underscores what has been a close but complicated relationship between Trump and the Big Tech sector in his second administration. 

Many of the aforementioned executives have sought friendlier ties with Trump, often appearing at events alongside the president to announce moves that align with the administration’s goals on emerging technologies and American reshoring. 

Invitees to the event also include other tech leaders, such as OpenAI president Greg Brockman; Google co-founder Sergey Brin; Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Sankar; and co-founder of Scale AI and head of a superintelligence team at Meta, Alexandr Wang.

CEOs such as Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Oracle‘s Safra Catz, and Micron Technology‘s David Limp have also been invited. 

Unsurprisingly, David Sacks, a venture capitalist serving as the White House’s crypto and AI czar, is expected to be at the event. Jared Isaacman, founder of Shift4, is also expected to attend despite Trump withdrawing his nomination to run NASA in June.

Notably, Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who previously served as a special government employee in the first few months of the latest Trump administration and later had a public falling out with the president, was not on the invitation list.

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C3 AI reports declining revenue, announces new CEO to replace Siebel

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C3 AI reports declining revenue, announces new CEO to replace Siebel

The C3.ai logo is seen near a computer motherboard in this illustration taken on Jan. 8, 2024.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Shares of the enterprise artificial intelligence company C3 AI fell 14% in extended trading on Wednesday after it announced fiscal first-quarter results and the appointment of Stephen Ehikian as its new CEO.

C3 AI reported $70.3 million in revenue for the quarter, down from $87.2 million during the same period last year. The company’s GAAP net loss widened to an 86-cent loss from a 50-cent loss a year ago.

Ehikian is a long-time tech executive who built two companies that were both acquired by Salesforce, C3 AI said. C3 AI said Ehikian assumed the new role on Sept. 1.

C3 AI kicked off a search for a new chief executive in July after its former CEO, Thomas Siebel revealed that he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease earlier this year that resulted in “significant visual impairment.”

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“C3 AI is one of the most important companies in the AI landscape and enterprise software, with a platform and applications that are unmatched,” Ehikian said. “I am confident that we will be able to capture an increasing share of the immense market opportunity in Enterprise AI.”

The company has had a rocky few months since Siebel’s diagnosis.

Shares plunged in August after C3 AI announced disappointing preliminary financial results and a restructuring of its global sales and services organization.

Siebel said in an August statement that sales results during the quarter were “completely unacceptable.” He attributed the performance to the “disruptive effect” of the reorganization, as well as his ongoing health issues.

C3.ai shares plummet 14% after withdrawing previous guidance and new CEO announcement

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Salesforce issues weak revenue guidance even as earnings beat estimates

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Salesforce issues weak revenue guidance even as earnings beat estimates

Marc Benioff, co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, sits for an interview in San Francisco on April 25, 2025.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Salesforce issued disappointing guidance on Wednesday, even as earnings and revenue topped estimates for the fiscal second quarter. The stock dropped 4% in extended trading.

Here’s how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus:

  • Earnings per share: $2.91 adjusted vs. $2.78 expected
  • Revenue: $10.24 billion vs. $10.14 billion expected

Revenue increased 10% from $9.33 billion a year earlier, according to a statement. Net income rose to $1.89 billion, or $1.96 per share, from $1.43 billion, or $1.47 per share, a year ago.

For the fiscal third quarter, management called for $2.84 to $2.86 in adjusted earnings per share on $10.24 billion to $10.29 billion in revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG had been looking for $2.85 per share on $10.29 billion in revenue.

Salesforce maintained its full-year revenue outlook but now sees higher earnings. The company is targeting $11.33 to $11.37 in adjusted earnings per share on $41.1 billion to $41.3 billion in revenue. The consensus estimate from LSEG was $11.31 in earnings per share and $41.2 billion in revenue. The forecast in May included $11.27 to  $11.33 in adjusted earnings per share.

Salesforce has fallen out of favor on Wall Street this year due to an extended stretch of meager revenue growth, which has been stuck in the single digits since mid-2024. While the company regularly touts its investments in artificial intelligence and the advancements in its software and systems, it hasn’t been lifted by the AI boom in the same way as many of its tech peers.

Going into Wednesday’s report, Salesforce was down 23% for the year, lagging behind all but one stock in the Dow and trailing all other large-cap tech companies.

The ratio of Salesforce’s enterprise value to its free cash flow has reached a 10-year low because of fears of disruption from AI, according to analysts at Jefferies, who have a buy rating on the stock. Salesforce is trying to counter the pressure by selling its Agentforce AI software that can automate the handling of customer service questions.

During the fiscal second quarter, Salesforce said it was planning to increase the cost of some products and announced its intent to acquire data management software company Informatica for $8 billion.

Executives will discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 5 p.m. ET.

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