Japan’s first operational full-stack neutral-atom quantum computer, which packs approximately 50 qubits at launch and could eventually reach 500, has just been switched on. Called Shunkai, the system was designed by a research team led by Kenji Ohmori, PhD, a chemist and a renowned Japanese professor at the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), part of Japan’s National Institutes of Natural Sciences. The machine officially went live on August 24. Shunkai is powered by a quantum processing unit (QPU) supplied by Colorado-based quantum technology company Infleqtion. The company was also the only foreign quantum partner selected by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) for its Quantum Moonshot program. The program is a Japanese government effort aimed at developing fault-tolerant universal quantum computers by the year 2050. “This milestone marks a pivotal moment for Japan’s quantum ambitions as well as Infleqtion’s role in advancing production-ready quantum platforms at scale,” Pranav Gokhale, Infleqtion CTO, pointed out. Japan’s quantum ambitions According to Infleqtion, Shunkai will initially run with 50 qubits before expanding to around 500 as development progresses. Neutral-atom quantum computers use individual atoms as qubits, the basic units of quantum information. They can run at room temperature without large refrigeration systems. Also, the atoms can be trapped and manipulated with precisely controlled laser light. This allows scientists to connect different qubits and also tailor their layout to specific algorithms. More from Innovation See All Because neutral atoms can be arranged in large arrays while maintaining precise control over their quantum states, the technology is considered a promising route toward much larger quantum computers. It could make it easier for engineers to build computers with more qubits while preserving quantum information. Infleqtion shared that its QPU helped the Japanese team move from research and development toward an operational full-stack computing platform. “Our quantum