Today, Fujitsu announced that it received an order for a gate-based superconducting quantum computer from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) on May 15, 2024.
The Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI technology (G-QuAT) of AIST is scheduled to operate in early 2025. This is the first time a Japanese vendor has received an order for a commercial quantum computer system.
The new superconducting quantum computer system is designed to scale to hundreds of qubits, one of the largest in the world, without upgrading the dilution refrigerators that constitute a superconducting quantum computer. It applies Fujitsu’s newly developed technology for mounting high-density wiring inside refrigerators and packaging technology for large qubit chips.
Fujitsu established the RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center in April 2021 and has been conducting joint research with RIKEN to scale up superconducting quantum computers.
Fujitsu has made the new superconducting quantum computer practical by utilizing technology cultivated at the RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center.
At the RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center, Fujitsu has developed Japan’s second domestically-made superconducting quantum computer with RIKEN.
Fujitsu also received an order for the ABCI-Q, a quantum and AI cloud, from G-QuAT of AIST in February 2024.
Masahiro Horibe, Deputy Director, Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, said
“As a core technology that can bring about major changes in the world, quantum technology has been receiving rapidly increasing expectations and attention in recent years, while international competition has also intensified. The introduction of the new quantum computer system will strengthen the computational infrastructure used by the Center for R&D at companies and research institutions and will contribute significantly to the promotion of industry and the creation of new markets in Japan.”
Yasunobu Nakamura, Director, RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing (RQC), said, “A quarter of a century has passed since the first superconducting qubit was realized in the world, and Fujitsu has become the first Japanese company to receive an order for a commercial quantum computer which was said to be still decades away.”
Vivek Mahajan, CTO and CPO, Corporate Vice President, Fujitsu Limited, said “We are very pleased that AIST has chosen our superconducting quantum computer. We expect that this quantum computer will be used to strengthen the R&D base for advanced quantum technologies and to develop practical quantum applications. We will promote the development and industrial application of quantum-related technology research at all layers, including hardware as well as middleware, architecture, and application development, and contribute to the resilience of domestic technologies in Japan.”
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