Quantinuum Upgrades RIKEN's Reimei to System Model H2, Signs Separate Pact With SoftBank on Quantum Links to Data Centers
JAPAN. Quantinuum disclosed in an 8-K filing on November 11 that it has expanded its partnership with RIKEN, and that the Reimei quantum computer installed at RIKEN has completed its upgrade from the H1 system to Quantinuum's System Model H2.
Reimei is operated under the JHPC-Quantum project, funded by NEDO, which reports to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). According to the filing, the upgrade further enhances the capabilities of the quantum-HPC hybrid computing platform, enabling researchers to study more complex quantum systems.
Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, head of the Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, was quoted in the filing as saying the upgraded system will allow partners to tackle more complex and large-scale scientific problems that were difficult to handle with the previous H1 system.
The filing describes two research projects already underway. The first uses RIKEN's JHPC-Quantum GPU supercomputer ROQUO to train a model on quantum data generated by Reimei for magnetism simulations, with early results suggesting it can produce more accurate predictions than models trained solely on classical simulations.
The second project combines Reimei, RIKEN's Fugaku supercomputer, and NVIDIA's evolutionary AI agent running on ROQUO to simulate a complex photoactive biomolecule. The filing states both projects support RIKEN's AI for Science initiative.
Under a separate agreement, Quantinuum, RIKEN, and SoftBank Corp. will assess infrastructure readiness and examine how connected systems could support commercial quantum-classical hybrid computing services in Japan. SoftBank's Takenori Kobayashi, Vice President and Head of Product Research and Development, was quoted as stating the goal is to advance development of a Quantum AI Datacenter that connects quantum computing with high-performance computing and makes these capabilities accessible to companies across Japan.
The filing also notes that Quantinuum and RIKEN intend to involve Japanese universities and domestic component suppliers in the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer described as Made with Japan, and states the research aligns with a planned partnership worth $1 billion under the U.S. Genesis Mission.
Source: Quantinuum
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于理化学研究所计算科学研究中心的超级计算机「富岳」机房。来源：Barsaka2, CC0，维基共享资源。 / Photo: The Fugaku supercomputer hall at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science. Credit: Barsaka2, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
