Jul. 1, 2025
Commemorative ceremony for the launch of RIKEN Fugaku - IBM Quantum System Two integration
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 "Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / Research and Development of Quantum-Supercomputers Hybrid Platform for Exploration of Uncharted Computable Capabilities." Under this project, R-CCS is working together with SoftBank, the University of Tokyo, and Osaka University to develop highly versatile quantum-HPC hybrid system software, to build a hybrid quantum-supercomputer platform, and to realize technologies that can be deployed as services in the Post-5G era.
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, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture; Kizo Hisamoto, Mayor of Kobe City; Jingo Kikukawa, Director-General for Innovation and Environment at METI; and Tomoyasu Nishimura, Executive Director of NEDO.
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, member of the House of Councilors Committee on Education, Culture and Science (former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology); Nobuhiko Isaka and Kenji Yamada, both members of the House of Representatives; and Masahito Moriyama (former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), who played a major role last year in launching the successor project to Fugaku, "Fugaku NEXT". 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 (MEXT).
Following the ribbon-cutting and commemorative photo session, a symposium titled “Expanding the Computing Frontiers through Fugaku and Quantum Computers” was held as a hybrid event featuring presentations of past research achievements and future prospects.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony
Commemorative photo