6 companies will jointly begin research to build a materials development platform using quantum computers. The project was selected under an NEDO call for proposals, with a demonstration integrating quantum computing and AI scheduled to run from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2028.
TOPPAN Holdings, Aisin, Asahi Kasei, SoftBank, AGC and DIC have entered into an agreement to advance R&D on building a new materials development platform using quantum computers from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2028.
The R&D aims to validate an approach that combines AI with quantum computing at its core to overcome challenges in data-driven methods and computational science. The companies plan to assess the applicability of quantum computing to multiple material systems with strong industrial demand.
The R&D will focus on three areas: validating the fields in which quantum computing can be applied, developing technologies for using quantum computing, and demonstrating simulations with feedback from experiments.
The companies will divide responsibilities and advance the research, including validating quantum algorithms for additive materials, assessing applicability to superconducting materials, and validating and establishing practical implementation prospects in other companies’ fields. Going forward, they will continue validating the expanded application and practical implementation of computational methods that combine quantum computing and AI.