Mitsubishi Electric Invests in OptQC Startup Developing Optical Quantum Computer Hardware

Leveraging optical quantum technology and market insights for industrial use

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that its ME Innovation Fund has invested in OptQC Corp., a Japanese startup that develops and provides optical quantum computer hardware. This is the fund’s sixteenth investment to date.

Quantum computing is transitioning from research to practical applications, including the rapid acceleration of technological development for industrial use. These applications require hardware equipped with a large number of qubits, and among the various approaches, optical quantum computing offers superior qubit scalability and energy efficiency.

OptQC is a startup originating from the University of Tokyo. It was established based on technologies developed by the university’s Furusawa Laboratory, a world leader in optical quantum computing. The company’s optical quantum computer features proprietary architecture designed to limit increases in system size as the number of qubits grows. Its hardware technology is highly regarded for its suitability for large-scale systems. OptQC has also established a track record of progress toward practical applications, including delivering its first commercial system to a public research institution and hardware modules to private-sector companies.

Through this investment, Mitsubishi Electric expects to gain early insights into the company’s optical quantum computer hardware development technologies, related components, customers and market trends. The company aims to lead the field of quantum computing and create new business opportunities by applying these insights to its quantum technologies, software implementation knowhow and application development in industrial fields.

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