Fujitsu to Make Quantum Computers Available for Research in 2023

Fujitsu has teamed up with scientific research institute Riken to become the first Japanese company to provide quantum computers for research projects starting next year.

As Nikkei Asia reports(Opens in a new window), Fujitsu has been working with Riken since last year through the creation of a new research center called the Riken RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center(Opens in a new window) located in Wako city, Saitama prefecture. A team of 20 researchers work there, combining Riken’s quantum computer technology using superconducting circuits with Fujitsu’s computing technology and knowledge of quantum technology applications.

If you’re wondering what a quantum computer looks like or how it works, IBM researcher Jeff Welser gave a fascinating interview with PCMag back in 2018, which you can watch below:

The first quantum computer Fujitsu intends to offer next year has 64 qubits, and the intended market is research companies working in the fields of medicines, materials, and financial forecasting. The hope is that quantum computing can have a major positive impact in a range of fields including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and finance.

For comparison, Google revealed a quantum computer back in 2019 with 53 qubits, and IBM’s 2021 quantum computer has 127 qubits(Opens in a new window). Fujitsu is aiming to produce a quantum computer “after March 2027” with over 1,000 qubits, which should give you a good idea of how quickly quantum computing development is set to accelerate over the next few years.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify that Fujitsu will be offering the quantum computers for testing by customers carrying out research ahead of full commercialization.

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