Japan’s first leading-edge quantum computer to be installed this year
+ IBM Japan Ltd. announced on March 23 that the computer made by its U.S. parent IBM Corp. will be installed at Kawasaki Business Incubation Center (KBIC) in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo. It will be in place within a few months, and will be in operation by the end of the year. The University of Tokyo, which holds exclusive access rights, will seek to put the machine to practical tasks in cooperation with companies through a dedicated consortium.
KBIC is a research and development office space equipped with labs for start-ups. IBM Japan also uses the facility as a research center.
+ The University of Tokyo signed a partnership with IBM Japan in December 2019, and established the Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium in July 2020 to turn quantum computers to practical use through the cooperation of government, industry and academia. The two universities and 12 companies that make up the consortium include Keio University, Toshiba Corp., Mitsubishi Chemical Holding Corp. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. The consortium members will be able to access the quantum computer in Kawasaki through cloud technology.
+ Hiroaki Aihara, the consortium’s project leader and vice president of the University of Tokyo, said, “It’s overwhelmingly advantageous to be able to get a lot of time on a cutting-edge computer. We want to develop quantum computer apps through industry-academia cooperation and accelerate the technology’s use.” Outside Japan, another quantum computer is set to enter operation in Germany in 2021.
Source: The Mainichi. Mainichi Japan, Japan’s first leading-edge quantum computer to be installed this year…
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