Raphael Thys
Fujitsu has teamed up with scientific research institute Riken to become the first Japanese company to sell quantum computers starting next year.
As Nikkei Asia reports, Fujitsu has been working with Riken since last year through the creation of a new research center called the Riken RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Center 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 sell 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. 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.