‘Quantum Valley’: RPI, IBM Announce Plans for First IBM Quantum System One on College Campus

TROY — IBM and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have announced that RPI will become the first university in the world to house an IBM Quantum System One computer.

The IBM quantum computer is intended to be operational by January 2024, a press release states, and will serve as the foundation of a new IBM Quantum Computational Center in partnership with RPI.

The release states that RPI’s vision is to “enhance the educational experiences and research capabilities of students and researchers at RPI and other institutions, propel the Capital Region into a top location for talent, and accelerate New York’s growth as a technology epicenter.”

RPI is investing more than $150 million into research of applications for quantum computing, with philanthropic support from Curtis R. Priem, RPI Class of 1982 and vice chair of the RPI Board of Trustees. The new quantum computer will be part of RPI’s new Curtis Priem Quantum Constellation, a faculty-endowed center for collaborative research.

“We are grateful for Curtis Priem’s support. RPI is building upon our longstanding collaboration with IBM to harness state-of-the-art computing to find solutions to global challenges, while training the next-gen workforce in quantum,” said Marty A. Schmidt ‘81, Ph.D., President of RPI, in the release. “We look forward to working with our partners in the region to transform the Hudson River Valley into ‘Quantum Valley.’”

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to process information and may solve problems that are too complex for classical supercomputers, such as advancements in computational science research, artificial intelligence, and materials, the release states.

The agreement includes a commitment to provide an upgrade to the system installed at RPI in 2026.

“Today’s quantum computers are novel, scientific tools that can be used to model problems that are extremely difficult, and perhaps impossible, for classical systems, signaling that we are now entering a new phase of utility for quantum computing,” said Darío Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, in the release. “We expect this collaboration to continue to have tremendous impact for the area’s growth as a corridor of innovation, from New York City to the Capital Region.”

RPI is also home to the Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System (AiMOS), which is the most powerful private university-based supercomputer in the United States, the release states.