Ibm And Riken Are Bringing Quantum Computing To Japan

KOBE, Japan, June 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan, today unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two ever to be deployed outside of the United... The availability of this system also marks a milestone as the first quantum computer to be co-located with RIKEN's supercomputer Fugaku — one of the most powerful classical systems on Earth. This effort is supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), an organization under the jurisdiction of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)'s "Development of Integrated Utilization Technology for... IBM Quantum System Two at RIKEN is powered by IBM's 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron, the company's best performing quantum processor to-date. IBM Heron's quality as measured by the two-qubit error rate, across a 100-qubit layered circuit, is 3x10-3 (with the best two-qubit error being 1x10-3) — which is 10 times better than the previous generation... IBM Heron's speed, as measured by the CLOPS (circuit layer operations per second) metric is 250,000, which reflects another 10x improvement in the past year, over IBM Eagle.

At a scale of 156 qubits, with these quality and speed metrics, Heron is the most performant quantum processor in the world. This latest Heron is capable of running quantum circuits that are beyond brute-force simulations on classical computers, and its connection to Fugaku will enable RIKEN teams to use quantum-centric supercomputing approaches to push forward... The new IBM Quantum System Two is co-located with Fugaku within the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS), Japan's premier high-performance computing (HPC) center. The computers are linked through a high-speed network at the fundamental instruction level to form a proving ground for quantum-centric supercomputing. This low-level integration allows RIKEN and IBM engineers to develop parallelized workloads, low-latency classical-quantum communication protocols, and advanced compilation passes and libraries. Because quantum and classical systems will ultimately offer different computational strengths, this will allow each paradigm to seamlessly perform the parts of an algorithm for which it is best suited.

This quantum computer expands IBM's global fleet of quantum computers, and was officially launched during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 24, 2025, in Kobe, Japan. The event featured opening remarks from RIKEN President Makoto Gonokami; Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and Vice President of IBM Quantum; Akio Yamaguchi, General Manager of IBM Japan; as well as local parliament members and... On June 24, a ceremony was held at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) in Kobe, Japan, to mark the launch of collaborative operation of the supercomputer Fugaku and IBM Quantum System Two. R-CCS, in collaboration with SoftBank Corp., has launched a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), titled... IBM Quantum System Two—equipped with the 156-qubit Heron superconducting quantum processor—has been installed at R-CCS. Consequently, “Quantum-Centric Supercomputing” operations utilizing both IBM Quantum System Two and the supercomputer Fugaku have been launched.

This marks the first such deployment of IBM Quantum System Two outside of North America. At the ceremony, opening remarks were given by the hosts: Makoto Gonogami, President of RIKEN; Akio Yamaguchi, President and CEO of IBM Japan, Ltd.; and Jay Gambetta, Vice President of IBM Quantum. Congratulatory addresses were given by Kisaburo Tokai, Chair of the Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the House of Representatives (former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology); Motohiko Saito,... Other attendees included Yasutoshi Nishimura, member of the House of Representatives Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry (former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry); Yoshihiro Seki, also a member of the Committee; Shinsuke Suematsu,... Also in attendance was Shigekazu Matsuura, Deputy Director-General of the Minister's Secretariat and in charge of Research Promotion Bureau and Higher Education Policy Coordination at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology... Supercomputer Fugaku at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Kobe (©Sankei by Yasuaki Watanabe)

A newly installed IBM quantum computer officially began full-scale operations on June 24 at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Kobe. In a groundbreaking initiative, it will operate in tandem with Japan's flagship supercomputer, Fugaku, with the goal of dramatically enhancing computational power and processing efficiency. This integration of quantum and classical computing is expected to accelerate innovation across a broad spectrum of fields, from drug discovery to cutting-edge materials research. Quantum computers harness the unique properties of subatomic particles like photons and electrons to perform complex calculations. Celebrated for their extraordinary potential, quantum computers are often said to solve problems in one minute that would take a supercomputer 100 years. They are especially effective in quantum chemical calculations, helping scientists analyze the behavior of matter and chemical reactions at the molecular scale.

IBM's next-generation quantum computer "IBM Quantum System Two" has been installed at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) in Kobe City and has begun operation. A commemorative ceremony was held on-site on June 24, unveiling the first IBM next-generation quantum computer ever installed outside the United States. The commemorative ceremony was attended by RIKEN President Makoto Gonokami, IBM Quantum Vice President Jay Gambetta, IBM Japan President Akio Yamaguchi, as well as local Diet members, the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, the Mayor... This quantum computer is equipped with IBM's 156-qubit Heron processor, which IBM claims is the highest-performing quantum processor in its history. The processor quality, measured by the two-qubit error rate in a 100-qubit layered circuit, is 0.003 (with the best two-qubit error being 0.001), which is equivalent to 10 times better than the previous-generation 127-qubit... The Heron processor operates at a speed of 250,000 CLOPS (circuit layer operations per second), representing more than a 10-fold improvement over the previous-generation Eagle processor within one year.

Based on these high quality and speed metrics, this is considered the highest-performing quantum processor at present in the world at the 156-qubit scale. The IBM Quantum System Two equipped with Heron is installed in the same building as the supercomputer "Fugaku" at R-CCS, one of Japan's leading high-performance computing (HPC) centers. QuEra also set to deploy an on-premise supercomputer in Japan Japanese research institute Riken is to deploy an IBM quantum computer at its facilities in Kobe. US quantum computing firm QuEra is also set to deploy an on-premise system at a research organization in Japan. IBM this week announced an agreement to deploy an IBM Quantum System Two quantum computer at the Riken Center for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan.

The quantum system – to be powered by a 133-qubit Heron processor – will be colocated and integrated with the organization’s existing Fugaku supercomputer. Timelines for deployment weren’t shared. 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... 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. 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. IBM and RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan, have unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two to be deployed outside of the United States. Located in Kobe, Japan, the system is notably the first quantum computer to be co-located with RIKEN’s Fugaku supercomputer, one of the world’s most powerful classical systems.

This deployment, a key milestone for quantum-centric supercomputing, is supported by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)‘s “Development of Integrated... The IBM Quantum System Two at RIKEN is powered by IBM’s 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron processor, which demonstrates significantly improved performance over its predecessor, IBM Quantum Eagle. Heron achieves a two-qubit error rate of 3×10-3 (with a best of 1×10-3) and a speed of 250,000 CLOPS (Circuit Layer Operations Per Second), representing a 10x improvement in both quality and speed over... The system is co-located with Fugaku within the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) and linked via a high-speed network at the fundamental instruction level, enabling the development of parallelized workloads, low-latency classical-quantum communication... This integration allows RIKEN and IBM researchers to advance quantum-centric supercomputing approaches, pushing research on complex algorithms for problems such as fundamental chemistry. The system is designed to accelerate the discovery of algorithms that can offer quantum advantage, where quantum computers solve problems more efficiently than classical methods.

This includes work on sample-based quantum diagonalization (SQD) techniques, which have demonstrated the ability of near-term quantum computers to provide scientific value when combined with powerful classical infrastructure. The installation expands IBM’s global fleet of quantum computers and reinforces Japan’s role in high-performance computing. Read the full announcement here, and review Quantum Computing Report’s original coverage of the agreement here.

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