Quantinuum, a leading quantum computing company, has joined forces with RIKEN, a renowned research institution and HPC center in Japan, to unlock the potential of hybrid computational platforms. This collaboration will see Quantinuum providing access to its cutting-edge H1-Series ion-trap quantum computing technology.
Under the agreement, Quantinuum will install the H1-Series hardware at RIKEN’s campus in Wako, Saitama. This deployment is part of RIKEN’s ambitious project to develop a quantum-HPC hybrid platform, which will combine the power of Quantinuum’s quantum computers with RIKEN’s Arm-based Fugaku supercomputer, currently ranked as the world’s fourth most powerful supercomputer.
The primary goal of this joint project is to showcase the advantages of these hybrid computational platforms, with the aim of eventually providing them as services in the future post-5G era. The project is commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, CEO of Quantinuum, expressed his excitement about being part of such an advanced project in Japan, stating that their H-Series quantum computer is uniquely positioned to enable groundbreaking developments. With their technical and operational expertise, Quantinuum hopes to contribute to the project’s objectives and allow researchers at RIKEN and other Japanese institutions to harness the full power and capabilities of their H-Series quantum computer.
Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, Deputy Director at RIKEN Center for Computational Science, highlighted the importance of quantum-HPC hybrid computing. He emphasized how quantum computers not only accelerate scientific applications traditionally executed on supercomputers but also enable computations that cannot yet be solved by supercomputers. Leveraging RIKEN’s extensive research capabilities and experience in developing cutting-edge supercomputers like Fugaku, they are committed to advancing system software for hybrid computing.
With this partnership between Quantinuum and RIKEN, the potential for quantum-HPC hybrid computing is set to be explored, leading to groundbreaking research and advancements in the field of computational science.