On July 30, 2020, IBM and the University of Tokyo announced the launch of the Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium (QIIC), expanding their December 2019 Japan-IBM Quantum Partnership. The consortium brought together universities, research associations, and industry to accelerate quantum computing R&D in Japan.
According to the IBM announcement, QIIC members would have access to IBM’s fleet of quantum systems and an IBM Quantum System One planned for installation in Japan in 2021. The system, the first of its kind in the region and only the second such installation outside the United States, would support next-generation quantum hardware research including cryogenic components and room-temperature electronics.
The consortium represented a public-private partnership model aligned with the government’s Quantum Technology and Innovation Strategy. The IBM Quantum System One was subsequently installed at the Shin-Kawasaki facility and began operation in 2021.