The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and IBM have announced the deployment of the 156-qubit IBM Heron quantum processing unit (QPU) as part of the IBM Quantum System One administered by UTokyo. This update is part of the ongoing collaboration between UTokyo and IBM, initially launched in 2019 through the Japan-IBM Quantum Partnership, which later expanded to include the Quantum Innovation Initiative (QII) Consortium in 2020.
This deployment marks the second update to the IBM Quantum System One at UTokyo. The system originally featured a 27-qubit IBM Falcon QPU, which was upgraded to a 127-qubit IBM Eagle QPU in 2023. The latest transition to the IBM Heron QPU, featuring a tunable-coupler architecture, represents a substantial performance leap.
Compared to the previous Eagle processor, the Heron QPU delivers a 3-4x improvement in two-qubit error rates, a tenfold improvement in system-wide performance, a 60 percent increase in circuit layer operations per second (CLOPS), and an uptime of over 95 percent.
A critical aspect of this deployment is the planned integration of the IBM Quantum System One with UTokyo’s Miyabi supercomputer, operated jointly with the University of Tsukuba. The resulting quantum-centric supercomputer will combine quantum and classical computational power, opening new avenues for tackling complex computational problems in fields such as chemistry, bioinformatics, materials science, and finance. This integration is expected to enable more precise quantum measurements and optimize computational workloads using advanced neural network estimators.
Hiroaki Aihara, Executive Vice President of UTokyo, said the integration of the Heron QPU with the Miyabi supercomputer will accelerate the development of use cases that leverage both quantum and AI capabilities, expanding the scope of computable problems in scientific research.
Jay Gambetta, Vice President of IBM Quantum, emphasized that this development positions UTokyo among the global leaders in quantum-centric supercomputing.
Since the launch of the Japan – IBM Quantum Partnership, UTokyo and the QII Consortium have made significant strides in advancing quantum research in Japan. The consortium has published over 140 research papers based on experiments run on the IBM Quantum System One, reflecting substantial progress in leveraging quantum computing for scientific and industrial applications. Additionally, UTokyo is part of a broader educational initiative aimed at preparing 40,000 students in Japan, South Korea, and the United States for quantum-focused careers over the next decade.
InfotechLead.com News Desk
