Six Japanese Companies to Develop Quantum Computing Platform and Industrial Applications by 2028
Key Facts
SoftBank and five other Japanese companies announced an agreement to develop technologies that use quantum computing in materials innovation, after their proposal was selected for a NEDO program on infrastructure research for post-5G communications systems. The group comprises Toppan Holdings, Aisin, Asahi Kasei, AGC and DIC, alongside SoftBank. The work will run from fiscal 2026, which ends on March 31, 2027, through fiscal 2028. The companies aim to combine quantum computing with artificial intelligence technologies, including machine learning, to move materials development from validation to practical applications. The announcement comes as group companies move to test these tools on materials with a range of industrial uses.
The targeted materials include components for next-generation batteries, optoelectronic functional materials used in displays and sensors, and superconducting materials for future devices. The companies said their plan includes developing technologies that combine quantum computing and artificial intelligence, then manufacturing materials and evaluating their performance. Teams will compare experimental results with simulation data to improve prediction accuracy and assess the practical viability of quantum computing. SoftBank’s contribution is intended to use a platform linking quantum computers with supercomputers to generate data useful for materials development, as well as technologies for using that data with artificial intelligence. For industrial applications, DIC is focused on predicting the properties of color materials and semiconductors before manufacturing, while Aisin is working on superconducting materials.
The companies said that relying on quantum computers alone does not currently allow large-scale calculations, given limits on the number of qubits and error rates. The project reflects an effort to overcome these constraints by combining quantum computing with artificial intelligence tools and supercomputing, while testing results through materials manufacturing. NEDO presents the program as a broad set of practical applications for quantum computing, and it runs across fiscal 2026 to fiscal 2028. SoftBank has also conducted joint research in the field: in July 2026, it published a paper with Quantinuum on using quantum computing in chemistry and topological data analysis, and explored potential applications and commercialization. In August, the company said it was working with Osaka University on a quantum chemistry method combining quantum computing and high-performance computing as part of artificial intelligence for science initiatives.
Separately, EL7 data showed SoftBank’s U.S.-listed shares closed at $14.5 on October 27, compared with $13.98 on October 26 and $13.27 on October 23. The data do not link the share move to the project announcement, which was issued on October 28. Japanese investors are also focused on the Bank of Japan meeting, which concludes on October 30. A Reuters poll conducted from October 13 to 19 found that 54 of 78 economists expected the policy rate to rise to 1.50% in the fourth quarter. Among economists who specified a month for the increase, about 80% chose December, while only 2% chose the October meeting; the bank’s schedule lists the release of its policy statement and Outlook Report on October 30, with the full text of the report due on November 2.