Quantinuum and RIKEN expand Japan quantum AI supercomputing partnership
Quantinuum and RIKEN are expanding their partnership to advance quantum AI hybrid supercomputing in Japan after completing an upgrade of the Reimei quantum computer to Quantinuum’s System Model H2. The partners will also work with SoftBank to study connections between quantum computers and AI data centers.
- Reimei at RIKEN has been upgraded to Quantinuum’s System Model H2.
- The platform combines quantum computing, supercomputing and AI.
- Research focuses on materials, magnetism and biomolecular simulation.
- Quantinuum and RIKEN plan a fault-tolerant “Made with Japan” system.
- SoftBank will study links between quantum computers and AI data centers.
Reimei upgrade expands hybrid research
Reimei is installed at RIKEN and operates as part of the JHPC-Quantum project, which is funded by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, or NEDO. Quantinuum and RIKEN say the move from the H1 system to H2 improves the project’s quantum high-performance computing hybrid platform.
The upgraded system is intended to help researchers investigate more complex quantum systems that are increasingly difficult to simulate using classical computing alone. The partners will combine quantum computing, supercomputing and artificial intelligence to develop use cases in electronics, energy and life sciences.
Quantinuum and RIKEN describe the upgraded platform as the world’s most powerful hybrid quantum supercomputing platform of its kind. That is a company and institution claim, rather than an independently verified performance comparison in the announcement.
Research combines quantum data with AI and supercomputers
Two projects demonstrate how the partners plan to use the hybrid infrastructure. In materials simulation, the partners are using RIKEN’s ROQUO quantum GPU supercomputer to train an AI model with quantum data generated by Reimei for magnetism simulations.
According to the announcement, early results suggest the model can make more accurate predictions than AI models trained only on classical simulations, as well as more precise predictions than the quantum computer itself. The partners say that understanding magnetism at the atomic level could support the development of materials for technologies such as ultrahigh-field MRI and smart power grids.
In biomolecular simulation, Reimei is being combined with RIKEN’s Fugaku supercomputer and NVIDIA’s evolutionary AI agent running on ROQUO. The partners are using the combination to simulate a complex photoactive biomolecule at a scale and level of detail they describe as unprecedented. They say the work could help researchers understand how biomolecules respond to light, with possible implications for more efficient solar cells and other industrial applications.
Plans for a Japanese fault-tolerant system
Building on their work operating and integrating Reimei, Quantinuum and RIKEN will collaborate with Japanese universities and domestic component suppliers on a fault-tolerant quantum computer described as “Made with Japan.” The initiative is intended to combine Quantinuum’s quantum technology with Japanese research and manufacturing expertise.
In a separate agreement, Quantinuum, RIKEN and SoftBank will assess the infrastructure needed to connect quantum computing directly to AI data centers in Japan. They will examine how linked systems could support commercial quantum AI hybrid computing services and broaden access beyond the research community.
The work is part of RIKEN’s AI for Science initiative and is supported through the NEDO-backed JHPC-Quantum project. For users and industry, the announcement points to a possible path from research installations toward services that combine quantum computing, AI and high-performance computing, but it does not announce a commercial launch or availability date.
