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| A quantum computer set up by the University of Tokyo and International Business Machines Corp. at Kawasaki Business Incubation Center in Kanagawa Prefecture taken on July 26, 2021. (Photo by= Kyodo) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TOKYO - The University of Tokyo and International Business Machines Corp. have started operations of Japan's first commercial-use quantum computer, making a foray into a fiercely competitive field led by the United States and China, Kyodo reported. The next-generation system, developed by the U.S. technology company with the university holding exclusive access rights to use it, was set up at Kawasaki Business Incubation Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo.
An industry-academia consortium, launched in 2020, including Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Group Corp. and Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. as members, has access to the computer for joint research. It will explore the practical applications of quantum computing and nurture human resources. The IBM Quantum System One computer system is the second of its kind that IBM has built outside the United States, following one in Germany.
"Fields where quantum computers are put into practical use are expanding widely. I want to convey the achievements to the world," university's President Teruo Fujii said at a ceremony Tuesday to mark the start of the computer's operations. Quantum computers use quanta, such as particles of light, which have the characteristics of both waves and particles, and can calculate scores of combinations at once, rather than one by one as in conventional computers.
