Quantum computers have been delivered to supercomputing centers in Japan and Poland.

QuEra delivers quantum systems to Japan and UK

QuEra this week announced it has officially installed its first quantum computer outside of its own labs, at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba.

Deployed alongside the Nvidia-powered ABCI-Q supercomputer, the gate-based neutral-atom computer supports the launch of the new G-QuAT quantum and AI research center.

“We are honored to contribute to Japan’s exciting quantum agenda,” said Takuya Kitagawa, president, QuEra. “This is not only our first on-premises deployment globally, but also a symbol of the collaborative energy between government, academia, and industry. Together, we are laying the groundwork for impactful scientific breakthroughs through hybrid quantum computing.”

G-QuAT held an opening ceremony for the new research building earlier this month. AIST has signed MoUs with IonQ, IQM, Orca, Intel, dilution fridge maker Bluefors, and Universal Quantum this month. The IonQ deal will look to give the technology center access to IonQ’s quantum computers through the cloud.

On LinkedIn, QuEra this week also announced that it had shipped a quantum system to the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, in Oxfordshire. The system will be housed in the Tech Foundry 2 R&D facility.

Opened last year, the 4,000 sqm (43,056 sq ft) NQCC facility will eventually be home to 12 different quantum computers, with the aim of boosting the UK’s quantum capabilities. Orca, SEEQC, Infleqtion, Rigetti, Oxford Ionics, Quantum Motion, QuEra, and others are delivering quantum systems to the NQCC.

IQM system goes live in Poland

Another quantum computing firm, IQM, has launched a quantum computer in Poland.

“A proud moment for IQM and Poland! It’s the first quantum computer in Poland — IQM Spark operating under the name Odra 5,” the company said on LinkedIn this week.

The system has been installed in the Wrocław Networking and Supercomputing Centre of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. The system will be available to scientists, PhD students, and students for conducting research mainly in the field of computer science.

“We have the first quantum computer not only in Poland, but also in this part of Europe. Let’s hope that after many years it will turn out that this is the beginning of a new era of quantum calculations,” said Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs, rector of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, during the ceremony.

Finnish quantum computing company IQM announced plans to deploy a 5-qubit IQM Spark system just last month. IQM’s Spark quantum machines have been specifically tailored for universities and research labs, offering high single-qubit and two-qubit gate fidelity, which the company says allows for reliable and accurate quantum applications.

The Wrocław supercomputing center is also home to the Intel-based Lem supercomputer. Launched in 2023, it offers 20.37 petalops of peak performance.

Panama gets a small quantum system

In Panama, software consultant TR Consultores has acquired a desktop quantum system from Chinese firm SpinQ.

The 2-qubit Gemini Mini Pro is based on based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and operates at room temperature, and is targeted as a research tool to test quantum algorithms.

This year has also seen SpinQ deploy one of its small systems at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia.