Insider Brief
- Fujitsu has launched a Quantum Simulator Challenge inviting industry and academic teams to apply real-world problems to its advanced quantum simulator, offering up to $100,000 in prize money and access to its quantum tools and experts.
- The challenge centers on a CPU-based 40-qubit quantum simulator running on large-scale high-performance computing infrastructure, with new features including tensor network simulation and the proprietary Quantum Application Research Package to support practical use cases.
- Selected participants will collaborate with Fujitsu from January to March 2026, receive free access to its quantum technologies, and be evaluated based on innovation, applicability, and potential customer impact.
Fujitsu is inviting researchers and industry teams to test real-world problems on its latest quantum simulator, offering up to $100,000 in prize money and access to advanced quantum software and expertise.
The company announced a new Quantum Simulator Challenge that seeks applications from academia and industry to explore practical uses of large-scale quantum simulation. According to the Fujitsu announcement, the goal is to push beyond demonstrations and apply quantum tools to concrete customer pain points, while gathering feedback on performance, scalability, and usability.
The contest builds on earlier Fujitsu quantum challenges but adds more capable simulation features and a stronger emphasis on collaboration. Participants selected by Fujitsu will work directly with the company’s quantum experts, test new simulator capabilities on original problems, and help identify where quantum approaches may offer advantages over classical methods.
At the center of the challenge is Fujitsu’s CPU-based state vector quantum simulator, designed to model quantum systems that remain out of reach for today’s hardware quantum computers. The simulator supports up to 40 qubits and runs across 1,024 FX700 nodes powered by A64FX processors. In practical terms, this allows researchers to study the behavior of moderately large quantum circuits using conventional high-performance computing systems, rather than fragile experimental machines.
The simulator relies on Qulacs, a high-speed quantum simulation software originally developed by Osaka University and QunaSys. Fujitsu has extended Qulacs so it can operate in parallel across a cluster, distributing calculations using standard message-passing techniques and optimizing memory throughput. The company has also prepared a software development kit that is partly compatible with Qiskit, a widely used quantum programming framework, lowering the barrier for developers already familiar with existing quantum tools.
New Simulator Capabilities
For this year’s challenge, Fujitsu is opening access to additional simulation technologies. One is a tensor network-based quantum simulator that can handle circuits with 40 or more qubits when the circuit depth is relatively shallow. This approach trades generality for efficiency, making it possible to explore certain classes of problems that would be too demanding for full state vector simulation.
Participants will also have access to Fujitsu’s proprietary Quantum Application Research Package, known as QARP. The company describes QARP as a library of quantum algorithms and development tools designed to reduce the effort required to build and test quantum applications. The intent, according to the announcement, is to help participants focus on problem formulation and application logic rather than low-level implementation details.
The challenge is explicitly framed around use cases rather than abstract benchmarks. Fujitsu is encouraging applicants to propose problems with clear relevance to industry or society, and the selection process will emphasize innovation, breadth of applicability, and potential customer impact.
Prizes, Collaboration and Next Steps
The total prize pool is $100,000, with $50,000 awarded to the first-place project, $30,000 to second place, and $20,000 to third place. Beyond prize money, participants will receive free use of Fujitsu’s quantum technologies during the project period and direct collaboration with the company’s quantum specialists for training and technical support.
Fujitsu also sees the challenge as a pipeline for longer-term relationships. According to the announcement, successful projects may lead to future partnerships, joint development of technologies or services, and potential investment. Selected teams may also take part in co-branding and marketing activities, including possible inclusion in Fujitsu Quantum Day or Fujitsu Tech Open House events.
Participation Requirements
- Participants should agree to the Participant Agreement and the Trial Service Agreement, both of which will be designated separately by Fujitsu.
- Applicants must be legal entities, such as companies or institutions. Multiple entities may apply as one team, or multiple teams may apply from one entity.
- Participants are required to use Fujitsu QARP for their project. Details of QARP will be shared once the above agreements have been signed.
To support collaboration, Fujitsu plans to host technical webinars and establish a shared Slack workspace where participants can ask questions, exchange ideas, and interact with Fujitsu researchers.
The challenge is scheduled to run from January through March 2026. Applications must be submitted by January 30, 2026, and will be reviewed by Fujitsu before participants are selected.
