Nikkei Asia is reporting that Toyota, Toshiba, NEC, Fujitsu and Hitachi, among other Japanese companies, will form a partnership with that country’s government to focus efforts on quantum research.
The group is expected to start as soon as this month to promote the development of a technology focused on security, the media outlet is reporting.
About 50 businesses are expected to join the organization, creating a corporate entity next year and possible a fund for a quantum investment fund. The research group will gather Japan’s quantum expertise together to explore the practical use of quantum and facilitate opportunities to create new quantum-based products and services.
“It’s difficult for a single company to do comprehensive work in the field on its own,” Shintaro Sato, head of quantum computing development at Fujitsu, told Nikkei Asia. “We want broad partnerships in industry, government and academia, without limiting them to particular points.”
Quantum computing is expected to play a major role in national security, particularly in encryption, as well as intelligence gathering and analysis, Nikkei Asia. Researchers are also exploring this technology to build the “quantum internet,” which uses quantum encryption to secure communications.
It is an area where Japan is particularly strong. Japan has a strong presence in quantum communications and cryptography. Toshiba leads the world in related patents, closely followed by NEC and Nippon Telegraph & Telephone.
What Japan lacks, especially compared to China, is actual quantum infrastructure, according to Nikkei Asia.
Japan recognizes the global strategic value of quantum technologies. In a recent summit, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga discussed quantum computing with U.S. President Joe Biden. The two countries identified quantum information sciences as an area of cooperation to “enhance our countries’ competitiveness.”
The government sees that pooling the country’s quantum know-how will help incorporate the technology into national strategy while expanding the pool of expert talent in the field.
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Source: Nikkei Asia
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