Japan's Institute for Molecular Science Accelerates Quantum Computing Efforts

The Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), a Japanese inter-university research institute, is working with industrial partners to accelerate the development of neutral atom quantum computing based on research work led by Kenji Ohmori. IMS plans to launch a startup company by the end of its FY2024 and begin development of neutral atom quantum computers.

Experimental setup for the cold atom (neutral atom) quantum computer developed by the Kenji Ohmori group at the Institute for Molecular Science. Courtesy of Takafumi Tomita.

Ohmori’s group uses optical tweezers and microscope technologies to control a large number of high-quality qubits on a flat surface, as well as ultrafast two-qubit gates that use an ultrafast laser to create a quantum entanglement between two qubits in just 6.5 ns. Importantly, the approach operates at room temperature.

“Although we have absolute confidence in our basic technology, the development of practical quantum computers requires the integration of a variety of enabling technologies including conventional electronics, software, system engineering, and architecture,” Ohmori said.

The Commercial Preparatory Platform established by IMS has been joined by ten industrial partners comprised of companies and financial institutions. Among them are blueqat Inc., Development Bank of Japan Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Groovenauts, Inc., Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Hitachi, Ltd., and NEC Corporation.

Neutral atom computing is being pursued by companies including Atom Computing, Infleqtion, and QuEra Computing.

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Published: March 2024

Glossary

quantum: The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the atomic and subatomic scales. It originates from quantum theory, a branch of physics that emerged in the early 20th century to explain phenomena observed on very small scales, where classical physics fails to provide accurate explanations. In the context of quantum theory, several key concepts are associated with the term quantum: Quantum mechanics: This is the branch of...
optical tweezers: Optical tweezers refer to a scientific instrument that uses the pressure of laser light to trap and manipulate microscopic objects, such as particles or biological cells, in three dimensions. This technique relies on the momentum transfer of photons from the laser beam to the trapped objects, creating a stable trapping potential. Optical tweezers are widely used in physics, biology, and nanotechnology for studying and manipulating tiny structures at the microscale and nanoscale levels. Key...
cold atom: Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to nanokelvin (nK) range, close to absolute zero (0 Kelvin or -273.15°C). At such low temperatures, the thermal motion of the atoms becomes very slow, allowing researchers to manipulate and control their quantum mechanical properties with high precision. Cold atom research is primarily conducted in ultrahigh vacuum chambers, where atoms are cooled using various techniques...

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