Universities in the US and Japan are partnering with IBM and Google to enhance R&D for next-gen computers

A quantum computer uses quantum bits, or qubits, which represent both zeros and ones concurrently, as opposed to a conventional computer.

Together with the University of Chicago, IBM Corp., and Google LLC, the University of Tokyo is advancing research and development in next-generation quantum computing to address issues like climate change on a grand scale. According to the firm, IBM will give $50 million to each university over a ten-year period to support the creation of a system that can solve problems that are beyond the capabilities of the most sophisticated supercomputers currently available. Additionally, Google will give the institutions up to $50 million over the course of ten years to boost their research and human resource development. Quantum computing makes use of the quantum mechanical characteristics of atoms, photons, and other small-scale particles.

A quantum computer uses quantum bits, or qubits, which represent both zeros and ones concurrently, as opposed to a conventional computer, which requires a lengthy sequence of bits that encode either zeros or ones. This allows a quantum computer to solve intricate calculations at a very fast rate. According to IBM's announcement in May, the University of Tokyo will strive to identify, scale, and conduct end-to-end quantum algorithm demonstrations, while the University of Chicago will try to integrate quantum communication into computation. According to the firm, it has set a target to create a 100,000-qubit system by 2033 in conjunction with the two universities.