Quantinuum filed an 8-K on November 11, 2026, disclosing an expanded partnership with RIKEN, the upgrade of the Reimei quantum computer to System Model H2, and a new collaboration with SoftBank Corp. to explore connecting quantum computers to AI data centers in Japan.

Key Highlights

  • Reimei upgraded: The Reimei quantum computer installed at RIKEN has completed its upgrade from the H1 system to Quantinuum's System Model H2, according to the filing.
  • JHPC-Quantum project: Reimei is operated under the JHPC-Quantum project, funded by NEDO, which reports to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
  • SoftBank collaboration: Quantinuum, RIKEN, and SoftBank Corp. entered a separate agreement to investigate connecting quantum computing directly to AI data centers in Japan.
  • "Made with Japan" fault-tolerant computer: The partners plan to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer described as "Made with Japan," involving Japanese universities and domestic component suppliers.
  • Two active research projects: A quantum-AI magnetism simulation and a biomolecular simulation combining Reimei, RIKEN's Fugaku supercomputer, and NVIDIA's evolutionary AI agent on ROQUO were cited as early use cases.
  • U.S. Genesis Mission alignment: The filing states the research aligns with a "planned partnership worth $1 billion" under the U.S. Genesis Mission.

Quantinuum and RIKEN Expand Quantum-AI Hybrid Supercomputing in Japan

According to the filing, Quantinuum (NASDAQ:QNT) and RIKEN announced an expanded partnership on November 11, 2026, centered on the successful upgrade of the Reimei quantum computer to Quantinuum's System Model H2. The filing states this upgrade "further enhances the capabilities of the quantum-HPC hybrid computing platform" under the ongoing JHPC-Quantum project, enabling researchers to study more complex quantum systems. RIKEN's Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, head of the Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, was quoted in the filing as saying the upgraded system will allow partners to "tackle more complex and large-scale scientific problems that were difficult to handle with the previous H1 system."

The filing describes two research projects already underway before Reimei's public service launch. The first uses RIKEN's JHPC-Quantum GPU supercomputer ROQUO to train an AI model on quantum data generated by Reimei for magnetism simulations, with early results suggesting it can produce more accurate predictions than AI models trained solely on classical simulations. The second combines Reimei, RIKEN's Fugaku supercomputer, and NVIDIA's evolutionary AI agent running on ROQUO to simulate a complex photoactive biomolecule. The filing states both projects support RIKEN's "AI for Science" initiative.

Under a separate agreement disclosed in the filing, Quantinuum, RIKEN, and SoftBank Corp. will assess "infrastructure readiness" and examine how connected systems could support commercial quantum-AI hybrid computing services in Japan. SoftBank's Takenori Kobayashi, Vice President and Head of Product Research and Development, was quoted as stating the goal is to advance development of a "Quantum AI Datacenter" that connects quantum computing with AI and HPC and makes these capabilities accessible to companies across Japan. The filing also notes that Quantinuum and RIKEN intend to involve Japanese universities and domestic component suppliers in the development of the fault-tolerant "Made with Japan" quantum computer.

What Was Disclosed

The filing reports the completion of the Reimei quantum computer upgrade to System Model H2 at RIKEN, an expanded research partnership between Quantinuum and RIKEN, and a new three-party agreement with SoftBank Corp. to explore quantum-to-AI-datacenter connectivity in Japan.