NTT And OptQC In Pact For Optical Quantum Computing Acceleration

(RTTNews) - NTT, Inc. (NTTYY,9432.T,NPPXF), a telecommunications company, and OptQC Corporation on Tuesday said they signed an agreement to realise scalable, highly reliable optical quantum computers. They intend to use optical technologies, such as optical amplification and multiplexing, to develop optical quantum computers.

OptQC is a startup developing scalable, general-purpose optical quantum computer operating at room temperature. As per the pact, they aim to accelerate the practical realisation of large-scale optical quantum computers potent to address complex social challenges, and aim to achieve one million quantum bits by 2030. And by 2027, the firm intends to achieve 10,000 qubits.

Under the agreement, NTT will offer quantum error correction and optical communication technologies developed as part of the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network or IOWN Initiative to OptQC's quantum computing platform to commercialise scalable, practical and reliable optical quantum computers.

A Quantum Computer operates according to the principles of quantum mechanics, unlike classical computers, and is designed to solve problems at high speed, such as the efficient simulation of quantum systems and prime factorisation.

Unlike the semiconductor processor in conventional computers, light serves as the carrier of information in optical quantum computers. Logical qubits are a key metric for practical quantum computing, representing a unit of quantum information created by combining multiple physical qubits.

Optical Amplification Technology is used to amplify weak light over long distances to accurately deliver information. In quantum computing, this technology is applied to provide stable light carrying quantum states, enabling the quantum light sources necessary for large-scale computation. Optical multiplexing technology transmits multiple optical signals simultaneously over a single channel.

Through this initiative, both the companies seek to create use cases, develop algorithms, and establish a supply chain for optical quantum computers, contributing to solutions for complex social challenges.

On Monday, the shares of NTT had closed 0.08 per cent lower at $24.41 on the NYSE.