A superconducting quantum computer, fully designed and built with domestic Japanese components and software, went live on July 28 at The University of Osaka’s Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB). This achievement, a project spearheaded by QIQB, in collaboration with RIKEN and Japanese companies including ULVAC, Inc., ULVAC CRYOGENICS INC., e-trees.Japan, Inc., QuEL, Inc., QunaSys Inc., Systems Engineering Consultants Co.,LTD., and Fujitsu Limited, demonstrates the nation’s capacity to design, manufacture, and integrate a complete quantum system.
The project achieved technological self-reliance by replacing previously imported components, such as the dilution refrigerator and pulse tube refrigerator, with domestic alternatives. The entire software ecosystem, from front-end to back-end, is open-source and developed in Japan, utilizing the Open Quantum Toolchain for OPerators & USers (OQTOPUS). The project was funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Cabinet Office.
Components of the quantum computer will be showcased at a special exhibition at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan, from August 14 to 20. The exhibit will provide visitors with the opportunity to remotely connect to the system via cloud access and perform simple quantum programs. The exhibit is designed to be accessible to a wide audience and will also feature quantum computer-generated art in collaboration with Professor Akihiro Kubota of Tama Art University. This initiative is positioned to demonstrate a strategic effort to advance domestic quantum technology and its societal applications.
Read the full announcement here. Additional information on the exhibit is available here and the OQTOPUS project here.
August 8, 2025
