More On: Quantum computing
Researchers in the field of quantum computing experiment with additional qubits to explore their potential applications.
Quantum computing is still in its early stages, and the preferred method for harnessing qubits—the fundamental computing unit for these systems—is uncertain. Quantinuum's H1 systems, developed in collaboration with Honeywell and implemented by Riken, employ trapped-ion quantum computing. These systems use electromagnetic fields to suspend charged particles in free space, with qubits stored in the electric state of each ion.
Riken, the Japanese government scientific research institute, is embracing quantum computing by deploying Quantinuum's trapped-ion H1 systems at its facility in Wako, Saitama.
The goal of Riken is to utilize quantum computing as an accelerator for traditional high-performance computing (HPC) applications. To achieve this, the research institute is integrating various quantum computing and annealing technologies with conventional supercomputing hardware, notably its A64FX-powered clusters developed by Fujitsu.
Quantum computing is still in its early stages, and the preferred method for harnessing qubits—the fundamental computing unit for these systems—is uncertain. Quantinuum's H1 systems, developed in collaboration with Honeywell and implemented by Riken, employ trapped-ion quantum computing. These systems use electromagnetic fields to suspend charged particles in free space, with qubits stored in the electric state of each ion.
According to the H1 datasheet, each system can handle up to 20 trapped ion qubits, capable of moving between five intentional zones where quantum operations occur using lasers.
While 20 qubits may seem limited, especially when compared to competing systems like IBM's Osprey, which claims over 400 qubits, it's essential to note that qubit quantity doesn't necessarily correlate with higher performance. Similar to processor cores, the count alone doesn't indicate the actual computational capacity. This is why IBM has shifted focus to building lower qubit-count quantum processors that can scale out, as seen in its Quantum-2 systems.
Riken's collaboration with Quantinuum is not its first venture into the quantum realm. In October, Riken installed Japan's first superconducting quantum computer, developed by long-time partner Fujitsu, at the RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center in Wako. This system incorporates 64 superconducting qubits into a single integrated system, boasting 264 quantum superposition and entanglement states. Riken claims this enables calculations on a scale too challenging for classical computers.
Neither Quantinuum nor Fujitsu's systems are designed to operate independently. Instead, Riken aims to expedite code development capable of leveraging quantum computing as an accelerator for traditional supercomputers, akin to the current usage of GPUs as accelerators.
Mitsuhisa Sato, deputy director of the Riken Center for Computational Science, emphasized that advanced quantum computers are transitioning into the practical stage, with increasing qubit numbers and improved fidelity. From an HPC perspective, quantum computers act as devices accelerating scientific applications conventionally executed on supercomputers and enabling computations currently beyond the reach of supercomputers.
Despite the progress, the consensus is that practical applications of quantum computing are still years away. In October, Fujitsu cautioned that a fault-tolerant system generating reliable results is likely a decade or more in the future. Nevertheless, various companies, including Toyota, Hyundai, BBVA, BASF, and ExxonMobil, continue to invest in quantum computing and related technologies with the hope that significant breakthroughs may occur before the predicted timeline.
