Nvidia announced that Japan's new quantum supercomputer — designed to advance the nation's quantum computing initiative — will be powered by Nvidia platforms for accelerated and quantum computing.
Nikkei and other Japanese media reported that Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) is building a hybrid cloud system of quantum computers and supercomputers called "ABCI-Q." Since quantum computers can still make a lot of errors if they operate alone, supercomputers must help to solve the mistakes and make complex operations smoother.
The service will allow researchers to enter the problem to be solved in the cloud, run the system, and then return the results.
Nvidia will provide GPUs to assist in the construction of ABCI-Q. AIST and Nvidia will also provide quantum computing software through the cloud service.
ABCI-Q's ability to perform high-speed, complex computations will assist research and enterprise applications in AI, energy, and biotechnology, such as improving the efficiency of new drug development and logistics.
ABCI-Q will enable high-fidelity quantum simulations for research across industries. The high-performance, scalable system is integrated with Nvidia® CUDA-Q™, an open-source hybrid quantum computing platform with powerful simulation tools and capabilities to program hybrid quantum-classical systems.
The supercomputer is powered by more than 2,000 Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPUs in 500+ nodes interconnected by Nvidia Quantum-2 InfiniBand, the world's only fully offloadable, in-network computing platform, according to an Nvidia press release.
Built by Fujitsu at the Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT) National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) ABCI supercomputing center, ABCI-Q is expected to be deployed early next year and is designed for integration with future quantum hardware.
"Researchers need high-performance simulation to tackle the most difficult problems in quantum computing," said Tim Costa, director of high-performance computing and quantum computing at Nvidia. "CUDA-Q and the Nvidia H100 equip pioneers such as those at ABCI to make critical advances and speed the development of quantum-integrated supercomputing."
"ABCI-Q will let Japanese researchers explore quantum computing technology to test and accelerate the development of its practical applications," said Masahiro Horibe, deputy director of G-QuAT/AIST. "The Nvidia CUDA-Q platform and Nvidia H100 will help these scientists pursue the next frontiers of quantum computing research."
ABCI-Q is part of Japan's quantum technology innovation strategy, which aims to create new opportunities for businesses and society to benefit from quantum technology, including AI, energy, and biology research.
The ABCI-Q system is intended to be a platform for advancing quantum circuit simulation and quantum machine learning, building classical-quantum hybrid systems, and developing new algorithms inspired by quantum technology. Nvidia said it is also planning to collaborate with G-QuAT/AIST on industrial applications using ABCI-Q.
