IBM's first quantum computer launches in Japan: 127 qubit Quantum Eagle

IBM announced the launch of its most powerful quantum computer in the region, the IBM Quantum Eagle, which began operating at the University of Tokyo. This 127-qubit platform was handed over to Japanese partners in April of this year. IBM is looking to its Japanese colleagues for ideas on the practical use of this new class of computing devices, which in theory promise unimaginable data processing power.

IBM has previously provided quantum systems to Japanese scientists, deploying the 27-qubit IBM Q System One at the University of Tokyo's Kawasaki site in 2021. The new computer uses a 127-qubit IBM Eagle processor and promises to significantly speed up calculations.

According to traditional opinion, the practical use of quantum computers becomes possible only in the presence of systems with tens and hundreds of thousands of physical qubits. However, in a paper published by IBM in the summer, experts argue that the practical value of quantum systems begins with 100 qubits. The IBM Quantum Eagle, with its 127 qubits, is considered the first practical example of this claim.

The platform will be used by the Quantum Innovation Initiative (QII) consortium in Japan, which includes about twenty educational institutions and companies. Objectives include the search for new materials, drugs, and applications in finance, physics, chemistry and sociology. IBM expects significant returns from this project, which breaks new ground in an area where significant research has not yet been done.