Promoting the practical use of applications linked with quantum computing and HPC

Working together to innovate business with quantum computing and HPC

Overview

Project overview:
In this project, we will continue to study the development of practical applications utilizing a platform linking quantum computers and supercomputers, and will provide support for surveys and trials conducted by corporate users. The platform will be used by external corporate users from the prototype stage. We will continue to make improvements as we receive feedback, in order to build cooperative relationships with companies and industries that could become future users. This will encourage user companies to create use cases and develop applications, with the goal of building an ecosystem for commercialization.

Detail

The use of a platform linking quantum computers and supercomputers would allow us to solve problems that could not be solved using conventional computers in various fields. One example where this technology is gaining attention is in the development of new drugs, where quantum simulations could more accurately and quickly predict complex molecular interactions and side effects. In the manufacturing industry, optimization calculation could address issues such as optimizing manufacturing processes. In the field of machine learning, the technology could enable more complex pattern recognition and prediction than conventional machine learning methods.

However, technology to enable the practical use of quantum computers is still under research, and it has yet to be determined how it could actually contribute to business. In this project, we plan to develop use cases and business hypotheses in the promising computing technology fields of simulation, optimization, and machine learning. We will then verify these hypotheses with the ultimate goal of implementing a full-scale service.

First, we will work with our corporate partners to explore use cases in the fields of chemistry and materials, where quantum many-body computation can be applied. Next, we will provide our corporate partners with access to a trial platform for use in optimization problems, machine learning, and finance, in order to explore the potential of deploying the platform for actual business use.

During the initial stage of this project, we will work on creating use cases through initial trials conducted with corporate users, using the prototype environment of the platform under development in Project 1 through Project 9. This will allow us to gather user feedback and identify areas for improvement. During fiscal 2024, we will expand and improve platform functionality, and will recruit and support new trial users. We will also analyze the results of the initial trials in order to make improvements.

During fiscal 2025, we will stabilize and optimize the trial environment, and will build cooperative relationships with multiple companies. We will examine our business model and verify hypotheses, and during fiscal 2026, will conduct a final trial and make adjustments for practical use. We will strengthen cooperation with our corporate partners, compile results, and then submit final reports.

During fiscal 2027, we will collect final feedback from trial users, and plan to proceed with preparation and deployment for market launch. By doing so, we aim to build a sustainable business ecosystem.

SoftBank's long-term vision is to be “a company that provides next-generation social infrastructure essential for development of a digital society,” and we are working to address the challenges of realizing a future society. The popularization of generative AI is expected to lead to a society in which people and AI coexist, with AI making its own decisions to optimize industry and society. However, using AI on a daily basis would require massive amounts of data, and processing this data would require even more power. In order to address these future challenges, SoftBank is focusing now on building next-generation social infrastructures. Data centers will be crucial for next-generation social infrastructures, and we are planning to deploy four large-scale data centers, called "Core Brain," in Tokyo, Kansai, Hokkaido, and Kyushu. These data centers will be capable of processing massive amounts of data, and will also be used to run the quantum computers of the future. By doing so, we will respond to the enormous data processing demands associated with the realization of a future society, and aim to build a system that fully utilizes green energy to meet power demands.

Through Project 10, we will encourage corporate user to develop practical applications utilizing a platform that links quantum computers and supercomputers, as an initiative to develop these advanced use cases for next-generation social infrastructures. We aim to create services that can innovate business, by working together with corporate users to create a platform linking quantum computing and HPC.

Schedule

Project Members

SoftBank Corp.

Project Leader

Masamitsu Kuwahara
Yosuke Komiyama
Koji Kusunoki
Shoichi Sudo
Hiroshi Yamauchi
Masayuki MIyashita
Toshihiro Sasaki
Shun Seo
Toshihiro Aoki
Rei Nishimura
Koki Ikeda
Keita Nakagawa
Yasuhisa Yamamoto
Tadahiro Chujo
Masahiko Kiminami

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