Has NTT sparked the long-awaited quantum-computing revolution?

"For the past decade, quantum computing has struggled to balance promise and practicality. While the world's most advanced systems remain engineering marvels, they're bedeviled by the same flaw: the fragility of qubits-the fundamental units of quantum data-and the delicate hardware required to control them. A single fluctuation, for example, can collapse a quantum state, invalidating a computation. Most quantum systems also depend on large-scale refrigeration colder than deep space, with cryogenic racks that often occupy multiple rooms."

"But Japanese conglomerate Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) is attempting to rewrite that equation. In partnership with Japan-based quantum technology developer OptQC, NTT is attempting to break current orthodoxy through what is known as optical quantum computing, which uses photons instead of electrical currents to perform calculations. Since photons generate less heat compared to electron-based systems and can travel without resistance, these systems consume far less power. NTT argues that optical systems can be faster and more energy-efficient, forming the basis for greener, more sustainable computing."

Quantum computing faces persistent challenges from qubit fragility and the delicate hardware needed to maintain quantum states, where minor fluctuations can collapse computations. Many systems require extensive cryogenic refrigeration colder than deep space, with racks that occupy multiple rooms, driving exponential increases in cost, energy, and environmental stability as systems scale. NTT, partnered with OptQC, pursues optical quantum computing that uses photons rather than electrical currents, reducing heat and energy consumption. NTT leverages light sources and error-correction technologies from its IOWN initiative. Optical approaches aim to increase speed, energy efficiency, and sustainability for quantum computing.

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