IBM and RIKEN Launch Quantum System Two in Japan

IBM and Japan’s RIKEN Institute have announced the IBM Quantum System Two. This is the first system of its kind installed outside the United States and beyond an IBM Quantum data center. This deployment is a big milestone. It’s the first quantum computer located next to Fugaku, one of the world’s strongest supercomputers.

The installation took place under the project called “Development of Integrated Quantum and Supercomputer Utilization Technology.” This is part of a bigger effort called the “Research and Development Project to Strengthen the Infrastructure for Post-5G Information and Communications Systems.” This project is commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The system features the IBM Quantum Heron processor at its core. It has 156 qubits, making it IBM’s most advanced quantum processor yet. Using a 100-qubit layered circuit, the processor shows a two-qubit error rate of 3×10⁻³. Its best performance reaches 1×10⁻³. It runs at 250,000 circuit layer operations per second (CLOPS). This shows a tenfold speed boost compared to the 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle processor. It sets a new standard for quantum quality and speed.

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This leap in performance positions IBM Quantum Heron as the world’s most powerful quantum processor at 156 qubits. It allows running quantum circuits that outperform brute-force classical simulations. Integrating with Fugaku will help RIKEN researchers develop advanced algorithms. This is especially true in areas like computational chemistry. They will use a quantum-centric supercomputing method.

IBM Quantum System Two is located in the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS). This is Japan’s top center for high-performance computing. It shares the facility with Fugaku. A fast network links the two systems at the instruction level. This setup creates a testing ground for quantum-centric supercomputing. RIKEN and IBM will work closely together. This will help them create parallel workloads, low-latency classical-quantum communication protocols, advanced compiler passes, and specialized libraries. Researchers can use the strengths of quantum and classical computing together. This lets them assign tasks to the best system, which improves overall performance.

RIKEN and IBM are working together to create new quantum algorithms. These algorithms will solve problems more efficiently and accurately than traditional methods. A key achievement is a study in Science Advances. Researchers used sample-based quantum diagonalization (SQD) to simulate the electronic structure of iron sulfide. This compound is common in nature and biological systems. This shows that today’s quantum systems, combined with strong classical infrastructure, can provide valuable scientific insights. They do this without needing fault-tolerant quantum computing.

IBM Quantum System Two launched at RIKEN. This marks a big leap for Japan’s quantum computing. It’s also a key step towards hybrid quantum-classical supercomputing.