Riken will also work with an alliance of companies including Toyota Motor, Hitachi, and Sony Group to promote the use of computing infrastructure that melds quantum technology with supercomputers. This hybrid approach of integrating quantum computing and supercomputers has gained traction in Japan and could help Japanese companies compete better in cutting-edge areas such as drugs, materials, and other fields.
Quantum computers have the potential to be over 100 million times faster than conventional supercomputers, aiding in complex quantum and digital simulations, but existing quantum machines need to be kept in extremely cold environments and they can be unstable and prone to errors. This heavy-duty cooling adds a significant amount of bulk, cost, and energy consumption, limiting where quantum computers can be used.
To overcome these limitations, Riken will establish a communications link between a quantum computer and Fugaku, the world's second-fastest supercomputer, to overcome this weakness. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, "Only core calculations will be offloaded to the quantum machine, while Fugaku organizes and reinforces the various outputs to approach the right solution." Riken plans to set up the first prototype in Japan by the end of March in the city of Wako, near Tokyo.
Riken's efforts to develop a hybrid approach to quantum computing comes as competition in the field intensifies globally. For example, Google has announced plans to build an error-free quantum computer ready for practical use in 2029 and in 2019, a Google quantum computer conducted a calculation in three minutes that would have taken a supercomputer 10,000 years. Other countries such as China and the US are also heavily invested in quantum computing research. Europe has also been exploring the hybrid approach, with Finnish research and technology organization VTT connecting their quantum computer HELMI with the pan-European supercomputer LUMI last month.
Quantum computers have the potential to be over 100 million times faster than conventional supercomputers, aiding in complex quantum and digital simulations, but existing quantum machines need to be kept in extremely cold environments and they can be unstable and prone to errors. This heavy-duty cooling adds a significant amount of bulk, cost, and energy consumption, limiting where quantum computers can be used.
To overcome these limitations, Riken will establish a communications link between a quantum computer and Fugaku, the world's second-fastest supercomputer, to overcome this weakness. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, "Only core calculations will be offloaded to the quantum machine, while Fugaku organizes and reinforces the various outputs to approach the right solution." Riken plans to set up the first prototype in Japan by the end of March in the city of Wako, near Tokyo.
Riken's efforts to develop a hybrid approach to quantum computing comes as competition in the field intensifies globally. For example, Google has announced plans to build an error-free quantum computer ready for practical use in 2029 and in 2019, a Google quantum computer conducted a calculation in three minutes that would have taken a supercomputer 10,000 years. Other countries such as China and the US are also heavily invested in quantum computing research. Europe has also been exploring the hybrid approach, with Finnish research and technology organization VTT connecting their quantum computer HELMI with the pan-European supercomputer LUMI last month.