Latest news with #MitsuhisaSato
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan unveils world's most advanced quantum–classical hybrid computing system
Japan now hosts the world's most advanced quantum–classical hybrid setup, pairing IBM's cutting-edge quantum system with one of Earth's fastest supercomputers. On Tuesday, IBM and Japan's national research lab RIKEN unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two installed outside the U.S., integrated directly with Fugaku — the country's flagship supercomputer. This marks a major step toward 'quantum-centric supercomputing,' where quantum and classical systems work together to solve problems neither could tackle alone. The system, launched in Kobe, features IBM's 156-qubit Heron processor, dubbed as the company's best-performing quantum chip to date. It's quality and speed is 10 times better than the previous generation 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle. With significantly lower error rates and 10x more circuit speed than its predecessor, Heron is now capable of running circuits beyond brute-force simulation on classical machines. "The future of computing is quantum-centric and with our partners at RIKEN we are taking a big step forward to make this vision a reality," said Jay Gambetta, VP, IBM Quantum. "The new IBM Quantum System Two powered by our latest Heron processor and connected to Fugaku, will allow scientists and engineers to push the limits of what is possible." Researchers at RIKEN will use the system to advance quantum-classical hybrid algorithms, starting with challenges in chemistry and materials science. The direct link between Heron and Fugaku will enable low-latency, instruction-level coordination between the two machines — a crucial step in developing practical applications for near-term quantum hardware. "By combining Fugaku and the IBM Quantum System Two, RIKEN aims to lead Japan into a new era of high-performance computing," said Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, Division Director of the Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division, RIKEN Center for Computational Science. "Our mission is to develop and demonstrate practical quantum-HPC hybrid workflows that can be explored by both the scientific community and industry. The connection of these two systems enables us to take critical steps toward realizing this vision." The two systems are connected via a high-speed network at the instruction level, creating a testbed for quantum-centric supercomputing. This deep integration allows engineers to build parallelized workloads, develop low-latency quantum–classical communication protocols, and optimize software stacks. By letting each system handle the parts of a task it's best suited for, the setup plays to the strengths of both paradigms. The installation of IBM Quantum System Two at RIKEN builds on earlier collaborative work between IBM and RIKEN researchers aimed at achieving quantum advantage — the point where quantum systems outperform classical ones in speed, cost, or accuracy. One such effort, recently featured on the cover of Science Advances, used sample-based quantum diagonalization (SQD) to model the electronic structure of iron sulfides — a complex compound found widely in natural and organic systems. Accurately simulating such materials was once thought to require fault-tolerant quantum computers, but SQD offers a glimpse of what near-term quantum machines can already achieve when tightly integrated with powerful classical infrastructure.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
IBM and RIKEN debut IBM Quantum System Two in Japan
Tech giant IBM and RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan, have unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two to be deployed outside the US and beyond an IBM Quantum Data Centre. The system, co-located with RIKEN's supercomputer Fugaku, was officially launched on 24 June 2025 in Kobe, Japan. This initiative is supported by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as part of the "Project for Research and Development of Enhanced Infrastructures for Post 5G Information and Communications Systems." The IBM Quantum System Two at RIKEN is powered by IBM's 156-qubit Quantum Heron processor. IBM Heron boasts a two-qubit error rate of 3x10^-3 across a 100-qubit layered circuit, with a peak two-qubit error of 1x10^-3—ten times better than the previous 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle. Additionally, Heron's speed, measured by CLOPS (circuit layer operations per second), is 250,000, marking another tenfold improvement over IBM Eagle in the past year, according to the announcement. RIKEN Center for Computational Science'Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division director Dr Mitsuhisa Sato said: 'Our mission is to develop and demonstrate practical quantum-HPC hybrid workflows that can be explored by both the scientific community and industry. 'The connection of these two systems enables us to take critical steps toward realizing this vision.' With 156 qubits, Heron is described as the most performant quantum processor globally, capable of running quantum circuits beyond the reach of brute-force classical simulations. The system is integrated with Fugaku, one of the world's most powerful classical supercomputers, at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS). "The computers are linked through a high-speed network at the fundamental instruction level to form a proving ground for quantum-centric supercomputing," enabling the development of parallelised workloads and low-latency communication protocols. This integration aims to leverage the strengths of both quantum and classical systems for advanced algorithm research, including fundamental chemistry problems. The quantum computer joins IBM's global fleet and is expected to build on prior RIKEN-IBM research, such as sample-based quantum diagonalisation techniques used to model iron sulphides, as published in Science Advances. IBM Quantum vice president Jay Gambetta said: 'The future of computing is quantum-centric and with our partners at RIKEN we are taking a big step forward to make this vision a reality.' Recently, IBM introduced new software capabilities that integrate AI security and governance, claiming to offer the industry's first unified solution for managing agentic AI risks. These enhancements merge IBM's an end-to-end AI governance platform, with Guardium AI Security, a tool aimed at safeguarding AI models, data, and usage. "IBM and RIKEN debut IBM Quantum System Two in Japan" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
