Q-CTRL quantum with RIKEN to enhance IBM quantum system 2
Q-CTRL optimises hybrid HPC operations by integrating Fire Opal with RIKEN's IBM Quantum System Two.
Q-CTRL Quantum
Q-CTRL, the global leader in quantum infrastructure software, announced a substantial integration with RIKEN, a Japanese research institute. The release describes the integration of RIKEN's IBM Quantum System Two and Q-CTRL's Fire Opal performance management software. These partnerships aim to advance hybrid quantum-classical computing for industrial and scientific use.
Japanese HPC leader RIKEN Centre for Computational Science hosts IBM Quantum System Two. This system shares space with Japan's top supercomputer, Fugaku. Performance management software is now more accessible thanks to RIKEN's HPC environment.
JHPC-Quantum Project Driver
Recent integration is a key part of the JHPC-quantum effort. New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), under METI, commissions this project. The JHPC-quantum project aims to build a quantum-HPC integrated platform, investigate hybrid applications for it, and increase computing domains.
The effort's purpose was emphasised by RIKEN Centre for Computational Science Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division Director Mitsuhisa Sato. Sato said the JHPC-quantum project aims to establish quantum-HPC hybrid workflows for industry and science. He called Fire Opal's integration into IBM Quantum System Two a “meaningful step forward in enabling scientific and industrial progress” via their quantum and high-performance computing platform.
Impact of Fire Opal on Performance
Software for performance management Virtualisation, error reduction, and performance management are Fire Opal's features. The JHPC-quantum project can now be used in any quantum application with Q-CTRL's error-reduction technology.
Significant performance benefits from the program: Integration increases accuracy and efficiency by approximately 1,000 times, according to Q-CTRL. This crucial innovation reduces computational overhead. RIKEN emphasises that the software lets users run more precise and efficient quantum circuits without changing their operations or methodologies. Fire Opal delivers “record-setting performance” and simplifies quantum technologies for hybrid workflow teams.
Accelerating Key Research Applications
Integration supports dozens of JHPC-quantum project research groups. These teams are conducting cutting-edge research. Sample-based quantum diagonalisation (SQD), quantum chemistry, quantum machine learning, and physics simulations are supported.
Hybrid quantum-classical computing has become a strategic goal for industry due to widespread faith in quantum technology's near-term potential for beneficial applications. As quantum technology develops internationally, infrastructure software like Fire Opal is needed to give customers a quantum advantage from these platforms. Hybrid quantum-classical models are essential for short-term advantages in real-world quantum applications as hardware capabilities improve globally.
Q-CTRL Chief Strategy Officer Aravind Ratnam discussed the deployment's strategic value. Ratnam stated this combination allows abstracted hybrid classical-quantum operations and removes quantum computing performance barriers. Q-CTRL believes Fire Opal accelerates results for research and development teams seeking a quantum edge in critical applications.
Global strategy and deployment significance
RIKEN, Japan's largest research institute, publishes 2,500 biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and medicine papers annually. The institute is famous for its globalisation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and science.
Q-CTRL's first global on-premises HPC deployment, in Kobe, is a milestone. This is Japan's second major Fire Opal activation and the world's first HPC deployment. IBM users at Keio University Quantum Computing Centre activated the prior deployment.
The integration helps regional and international efforts to use quantum technologies to industry and science. To gain a quantum advantage from quantum platforms, infrastructure software like Fire Opal is needed. The system is instantaneously available to all RIKEN high-performance computing users, making these performance-enhancing strategies widely available.













