Hitachi and Intel Have Launched a Silicon Quantum Computing Project

Hitachi said on Thursday it has launched a government-backed research project with Intel K.K. and Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to develop silicon-based quantum computing technologies, as the country seeks to build domestic capabilities in next-generation computing.

The project, backed by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), will run through March 2029 and focus on technologies needed to manufacture, package and operate large-scale silicon quantum computers.

The initiative expands a strategic collaboration announced in June between Hitachi and Intel and aims to move silicon quantum computing from laboratory research toward industrial-scale manufacturing.

The partners will develop 100-qubit silicon quantum chip designs, manufacturing toolkits, three-dimensional integration technologies for future 1,000-qubit systems and a cloud platform that will allow researchers remote access to experimental quantum hardware.

Hitachi said it plans to launch an initial cloud service in fiscal 2027, demonstrate a prototype 100-qubit fault-tolerant quantum computing system using quantum error-correcting codes in fiscal 2028 and reach a 1,000-qubit prototype milestone by fiscal 2030.

The effort comes as governments and technology companies race to develop practical quantum computers capable of solving problems beyond the reach of today’s conventional systems. Silicon-based quantum computers have attracted interest because they could be manufactured using processes already common in the semiconductor industry.

Shigetoshi Samejima, Hitachi’s chief technology officer, said the technology could help address growing computing demands driven by artificial intelligence while tackling problems beyond the capabilities of conventional computers.

“With the advancement of AI, demand for computing that supports society and industry is expanding rapidly. At the same time, challenges are becoming more apparent, including rising power consumption in computing infrastructure such as data centers, as well as optimization issues in drug discovery, materials development, energy systems, logistics, and supply chains that are difficult to address with conventional computing alone,” Samejima said.

“Hitachi positions quantum computers as a strategic technology that can break through the limits of computation itself and support future social infrastructure and industrial systems.”

“By bringing together the collective knowledge of industry, government, and academia around the world, Hitachi aims to contribute to the early realization of FTQC (fault-tolerant quantum computing).”

Makoto Ohno, president of Intel K.K., said the collaboration combines Intel’s semiconductor expertise with Hitachi’s quantum research.

“Quantum computing holds tremendous promise to help solve scientific and industrial challenges that are beyond the reach of classical computing. Realizing that promise will require chips, manufacturing processes and system technologies designed for an entirely new model of computing,” Ohno said.

“Through this collaboration, Intel and Hitachi are bringing together Intel’s advanced semiconductor process and design expertise with Hitachi’s quantum R&D capabilities to help establish the foundational chip design, manufacturing and packaging technologies needed to move silicon quantum computing from research demonstration toward scalable industrial application.”

Masahiro Horibe, deputy director at AIST’s Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT), said the institute would provide cloud-based experimental environments for researchers.

“G-QuAT, AIST is equipped with evaluation capabilities for quantum devices and a demonstration environment for a fusion computing platform combining quantum computers and supercomputers,” Horibe said.

“We believe that this new silicon quantum computing initiative at G-QuAT, AIST will accelerate the formation and expansion of the ecosystem, and we will continue to contribute to market formation through quantum technology.”

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