Nikkei has learned that a company aimed at commercializing a high-speed quantum computer of the next generation will be established in fiscal 2024 by industry and academia in Japan.

The new business will be supported by roughly ten industry players, such as Fujitsu, Hitachi, and NEC. Its goal is to develop a high-performance computer based on a novel approach by the year 2030. The project aims to improve Japan's industrial competitiveness and economic security by using its technological advantages.

The Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) within the National Institutes of Natural Sciences, a national research institute, will serve as the entity's leadership during its establishment. The business is going to create a brand-new gadget known as a neutral-atom or cold-atom quantum computer. By fiscal 2030, it hopes to be the first company in the world to sell a high-performance commercial gadget, having developed a prototype by fiscal 2026.

Qubits, the fundamental unit of measurement for quantum computers, will be utilized by the cold-atom quantum computer to conduct calculations by manipulating rubidium atoms that have been chilled to almost absolute zero. Atoms of rubidium can be used to create the states required for these computations.

A commercialization consultation body was recently established by the IMS. The Development Bank of Japan, Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, and Hamamatsu Photonics are among the roughly ten collaborating companies. Each will contribute money to the new business and offer technology and human resources as support.

The IMS is located in Okazaki, Aichi prefecture, which will serve as the headquarters of the new business. Employees of IMS will make up the majority of the management team. At a later time, the corporate backers' investment terms and the company's name will be finalized. The new business will work with the industry to develop useful applications for quantum computers, which have the potential to solve complex problems faster than even supercomputers.