First IBM Quantum System Two outside U.S. deployed in Japan
Tech giant IBM unveiled the first 'IBM Quantum System Two' ever to be deployed outside the United States and beyond an IBM Quantum Data Center in collaboration with RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan
[Front view of IBM Quantum System Two at RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan, co-located with RIKEN’s supercomputer, Fugaku. (Image Credit: IBM)]
Kobe (Japan): Tech giant IBM unveiled the first 'IBM Quantum System Two' ever to be deployed outside the United States and beyond an IBM Quantum Data Center in collaboration with RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan.
This quantum computer expands IBM's global fleet of quantum computers, and was officially launched during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 24, 2025, in Kobe, Japan.
The availability of this system also marks a milestone as the first quantum computer to be co-located with RIKEN's supercomputer Fugaku — one of the most powerful classical systems on Earth.
The deployment is supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), an organization under the jurisdiction of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)'s "Development of Integrated Utilization Technology for Quantum and Supercomputers" as part of the "Project for Research and Development of Enhanced Infrastructures for Post 5G Information and Communications Systems."
Specification
IBM Quantum System Two at RIKEN is powered by IBM's 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron, the company's best performing quantum processor to-date.
IBM Heron's quality as measured by the two-qubit error rate, across a 100-qubit layered circuit, is 3x10-3 (with the best two-qubit error being 1x10-3) — which is 10 times better than the previous generation 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle.
IBM Heron's speed, as measured by the CLOPS (circuit layer operations per second) metric is 250,000, which reflects another 10x improvement in the past year, over IBM Eagle.
At a scale of 156 qubits, with these quality and speed metrics, Heron is the most performant quantum processor in the world.
"This latest Heron is capable of running quantum circuits that are beyond brute-force simulations on classical computers, and its connection to Fugaku will enable RIKEN teams to use quantum-centric supercomputing approaches to push forward research on advanced algorithms, such as fundamental chemistry problems", IBM and RIKEN said in a joint statement.
"Quantum-centric Supercomputing"
The new IBM Quantum System Two is co-located with Fugaku within the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS), Japan's premier high-performance computing (HPC) center.
The computers are linked through a high-speed network at the fundamental instruction level to form a proving ground for quantum-centric supercomputing.
"This low-level integration allows RIKEN and IBM engineers to develop parallelized workloads, low-latency classical-quantum communication protocols, and advanced compilation passes and libraries", the tech companies said.
"Because quantum and classical systems will ultimately offer different computational strengths, this will allow each paradigm to seamlessly perform the parts of an algorithm for which it is best suited", they added.
"The future of computing is quantum-centric and with our partners at RIKEN we are taking a big step forward to make this vision a reality," said Jay Gambetta, VP, IBM Quantum. "The new IBM Quantum System Two powered by our latest Heron processor and connected to Fugaku, will allow scientists and engineers to push the limits of what is possible."
"By combining Fugaku and the IBM Quantum System Two, RIKEN aims to lead Japan into a new era of high-performance computing," said Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, Division Director of the Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division, RIKEN Center for Computational Science.
"Our mission is to develop and demonstrate practical quantum-HPC hybrid workflows that can be explored by both the scientific community and industry. The connection of these two systems enables us to take critical steps toward realizing this vision", Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato added.
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