SoftBank and Quantinuum partner on quantum computing development

Tokyo, Japan - SoftBank Corp and Quantinuum partnered to advance quantum computing commercialization through joint research initiatives.

The collaboration, announced during the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology 2025, aims to address three primary challenges in quantum computing: business model development, use case establishment, and hardware-software advancement.

The companies will jointly develop business models for quantum data centers that integrate CPU, GPU, and QPU (Quantum Processing Unit) systems. 

They will focus initially on the Japanese market before expanding to the Asia-Pacific region.

The research will explore two specific use cases: quantum chemistry applications for optical switch materials in All-Optical Networks and network analysis for anomaly and fraud detection in SoftBank's telecommunications infrastructure.

The partnership seeks to overcome current limitations in quantum computing, including substantial initial investment requirements, operational costs, and the need for explicit revenue models.

The companies will explore revenue-sharing and cost-sharing methods to reduce investment risks as they develop practical quantum computing applications.