IBM Quantum System One will be outfitted by the University of Tokyo with the most powerful IBM Heron processor and connected to a Miyabi supercomputer.
IBM Heron quantum processing unit (QPU)
Plans to use the newest 156-qubit IBM Heron quantum processing unit (QPU) in the IBM Quantum System One run by UTokyo were revealed today by IBM and the University of Tokyo (UTokyo). With this major upgrade, the QII-Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium members will be able to use the Heron processor.
Additionally, later this year, UTokyo intends to connect the Miyabi supercomputer to the Heron-powered IBM Quantum System One, forming a quantum-centric supercomputer. Users from academia and industry in the QII-Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium should benefit from enhanced performance and new computational capabilities in a variety of scientific and financial fields as a result of this integration.
UTokyo and IBM partnership
Building on the Japan–IBM Quantum Partnership, which was established in 2019, this is the second update to the IBM Quantum System One as part of UTokyo and IBM’s ongoing partnership. Originally equipped with a 27-qubit IBM Falcon QPU, the system was upgraded to a 127-qubit IBM Eagle QPU in 2023. Later this year, the latest model of the incredibly powerful IBM Heron processor will be replaced. Compared to the preceding Eagle QPU, IBM has already implemented four Heron-based systems worldwide, and their performance has significantly improved.
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A 3–4x improvement in two-qubit error rates, an order of magnitude improvement in device-wide performance measured by errors across 100-qubit long layers, and further speed enhancement with an anticipated 60% increase in CLOPS are among the key performance indicators. Additionally, a high uptime of greater than 95% is anticipated for the system. Since it can execute over 5,000 gate operations, the IBM Heron processor is extremely valuable in coordinating utility-level workloads, allowing for published studies.
Quantum innovation initiative consortium
The computational ecology that QII-Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium members have access to will be substantially improved by the planned connection with the Miyabi supercomputer. UTokyo and the University of Tsukuba work together to run Miyabi through the Joint Centre for Advanced High Performance Computing (JCAHPC).
It has sophisticated CPUs and GPUs and is divided into two subsystems, Miyabi-C and Miyabi-G. The integration of Miyabi with the Heron-powered Quantum System One will enable QII users to investigate intricate computational issues, like employing neural network estimators to measure quantum observables more precisely.
This dual development is significant, according to UTokyo Executive Vice President Hiroaki Aihara. “With this upgrade to an IBM Heron quantum processor connected to the Miyabi supercomputer, it will be able to increase the number of scientific problems that can be solved through computation and speed up efforts to address societal issues,” he said.
Vice President Jay Gambetta of IBM Quantum underlined UTokyo’s global leadership. Gambetta said, “UTokyo will now join the leading global organizations that are defining the future of supercomputing by deploying the latest, best performing IBM Heron QPU in UTokyo’s IBM Quantum System One and connecting the system to the Miyabi supercomputer.”
This quantum-centric supercomputer, he continued, will give members of the QII-Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium new and enhanced computing capabilities to tackle issues that are expected to yield quantum advantage. Among many other fields, the enhanced capabilities are anticipated to have an impact on domain areas including high energy physics, materials science, finance, chemistry, and bioinformatics.
Beginning in 2019, UTokyo has been working steadily to increase access to quantum computing capabilities throughout Japan as part of the Japan-IBM Quantum Partnership. In 2020, the QII- Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium joined this project with the goal of accelerating commercial, academic, and governmental collaboration to further Japan’s leadership in quantum science, business, and education. Because of the fruitful collaboration, over 140 research articles based on tests on the IBM Quantum System One installed in Japan have been produced.
Additionally, UTokyo is a member of a group of American, South Korean, and Japanese universities that are working to prepare more than 40,000 students for the quantum workforce of the future over the course of the next ten years. If the proper export permissions are granted and final agreements are closed, the IBM Heron CPU will be successfully deployed, and the IBM Quantum System One will be connected to the Miyabi supercomputer.
Concerning the Tokyo University One of the best research universities in the world and the top university in Japan is the University of Tokyo. The massive research output of 6,000 researchers has been published in major international arts and sciences journals. About 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students attend UTokyo, including over 5,000 international students.
Regarding IBM, in addition to offering advisory services, IBM is a leading supplier of AI and hybrid cloud solutions worldwide. Using data insights, the company helps clients in more than 175 countries optimize business processes, cut costs, and gain a competitive edge.
Red Hat Open Shift and IBM’s hybrid cloud platform are essential for quick, safe, and effective digital transformations for thousands of government agencies and business organizations in vital infrastructure areas like healthcare, telecommunications, and financial services. Open and adaptable possibilities are provided to clients by IBM’s noteworthy advancements in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions, and consultancy. This is supported by IBM’s unwavering dedication to service, inclusion, accountability, openness, and trust.
IBM Quantum System One Price
The IBM Quantum System One is a commercially available quantum computer that costs tens of millions of dollars and is offered as part of a multi-year full-service contract. It makes use of the 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle processor and is intended for use in enterprise settings.
Range of Prices:
The IBM Quantum System One, which costs between $10 million and $50 million, is at the top end of the quantum computer market.
