Fujitsu And Riken Announce Second Japanese Quantum Computer Development

FUjitsu and research institute Riken announced the development of a second quantum computer in Japan, as part of a worldwide research effort to make new and practical quantum technology.

The 64-qubit quantum computer of Fujitsu and Riken funded by the Japanese government will be integrated with a 40-qubit quantum computer simulator. While researchers seek to eliminate errors preventing such systems from providing inaccurate results.

"This is the first or second step, we still have a long way to go," Shintaro Sato, head of the quantum laboratory Fujitsu, told reporters.

Governments and companies including IBM and Alphabet are pouring funds into quantum computer research, promising to be millions of times faster than the fastest supercomputers.

Last year, IBM launched a quantum computer of 433 qubits. Qubits, or quantum bits, are a measure of the power of a quantum computer, which uses quantum mechanics.

China, the US and allied industry countries are also competing to take the lead in advanced technologies including quantum computing. Meanwhile US President Joe Biden moved to hinder some US investments in China's efforts to develop the technology.