We reported in 2021 on IBM’s announcement of a 10 year partnership with the Cleveland Clinic and the intent to install an IBM System One quantum processor on-site in 2023. IBM and the Cleveland Clinic have just announced that this machine is now deployed. This deployment reflects a significant milestone for IBM. Although IBM has deployed machines in other places such as Germany and Japan outside of their research sites in New York state, those other machines were always deployed in one of IBM’s international facilities near the respective partner’s organization. This makes it a little easier from a logistics standpoint because IBM can better control aspects like security, maintenance, spare parts, utilities, etc. because the machine is physically in one of their own buildings. The Cleveland Clinic installation is their first quantum processor that is not located inside an IBM building so IBM will need to learn how to deal with those issues in a fully remote on-premise installation.

This machine will be exclusively dedicated to healthcare research and will work on problems such as problems such as  screening and optimizing drugs for specific proteins, quantum-enhanced prediction model of cardiovascular risk, and searching genome sequencing findings and large drug-target databases to find effective, existing drugs for various diseases. The 127 qubit IBM Quantum System One processor has some capability for future upgrades. So IBM and the Cleveland Clinic plan on implementing upgrades with either the IBM Quantum System One or the IBM Quantum System Two as the more advanced technology becomes available. A press release provided by IBM and the Cleveland Clinic announcing this deployment can be accessed here.

In another announcement, IBM indicated it will install another IBM Quantum System One computer in a new IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center to be located at the main campus of the Ikerbasque Foundation in San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain. This system will be 127 qubit processor with an expected installation completion by the end of 2024. This system will be used for expanding international research collaborations, performing world-class fundamental scientific research, and increasing the quantum-trained talent in the region. The Ikerbasque Foundation, through funding from the Basque Government, will invest over 50 million Euros ($54M USD) in this project, the largest investment for scientific infrastructure ever made in the Basque Country. This will be the fifth international installation of an IBM quantum processor after ones currently in Germany and Japan, and other ones already planned for Canada, and South Korea. For more about this announcement, you can view a press release provided by IBM on their website here.

March 24, 2023