Japan has switched on the first quantum computer that has been designed and built with components from the country. The system is now ready to take on workloads from its base at the University of Osaka’s Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB). The new system, which went live on July 28, replaces all previously imported components with homegrown technologies, University of Osaka representatives said in a statement. It will also run on open-source software developed in Japan, called the Open Quantum Toolchain for Operators and Users (OQTOPUS). The system uses a quantum chip with superconducting qubits — quantum bits derived from metals that exhibit zero electrical resistance when cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero (minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius). The quantum processing unit (QPU) was developed at the Japanese research institute RIKEN.

Full report : Japan’s first entirely homegrown quantum computer uses superconducting qubits and components made entirely domestically.