NEC teams with D-Wave on Quantum development

NEC Corporation has formed a partnership with D-Wave Systems and invested $10 million in the firm, which is known for its pioneering work in quantum computing systems, software and services.

The two companies will work together on the development of hybrid quantum/classical technologies and services that combine the best features of classical computers and quantum computers; the development of new hybrid applications that make use of those services; and joint marketing and sales go-to-market activities to promote quantum computing.

Under the partnership, the companies will build on the existing hybrid tools of D-Wave's Leap quantum cloud service to develop hybrid services capable of solving large combinatorial optimization problems at high speed, by combining D-Wave’s quantum annealing technology with NEC’s supercomputers. The newly developed services will be available to customers of both companies through Leap.

In addition, the companies will apply D-Wave's collection of over 200 early customer applications to six markets identified by NEC, such as finance, manufacturing and distribution. The two companies will also explore the possibility of enabling the use of NEC's supercomputers on D-Wave’s Leap quantum cloud service.

“We are very excited to collaborate with D-Wave. This announcement marks the latest of many examples where NEC has partnered with universities and businesses to jointly develop various applications and technologies. Our work with D-Wave has a special focus on developing hybrid quantum computing services and enhancing related hybrid quantum software applications, accelerating commercial-grade quantum solutions globally. This collaborative agreement aims to leverage the strengths of both companies to fuel quantum application development and business value today,” said Motoo Nishihara, Executive Vice President and CTO, NEC.

"Japan has long been a global leader in quantum computing, from the advent of quantum annealing to today's continued commercial research and development. By combining efforts with NEC, we believe we can bring even more quantum benefit to the entire Japanese market that is building business-critical hybrid quantum applications in both the public and private sectors," said Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. "NEC is a proven pioneer of world-changing technology, and we're united in the belief that hybrid software and systems are the future of commercial quantum computing. Our joint collaboration will further the adoption of quantum computing in the Japanese market and beyond."

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