NEC Halts Quantum Computer Development After 30 Years as Japan Sends 30,000 Scientists Abroad
Updated
Updated · Quantum Zeitgeist · Sep 6
NEC Halts Quantum Computer Development After 30 Years as Japan Sends 30,000 Scientists Abroad
1 articles · Updated · Quantum Zeitgeist · Sep 6
Summary
NEC said on Sept. 5 it has stopped developing a working quantum computer after deciding commercialization would take too long to generate a return on investment.
30 years of in-house quantum work are ending even though NEC had pursued both gate-based systems and quantum annealing, including a Moonshot role targeting a fault-tolerant machine by 2050.
An 8-qubit annealing project with Tohoku University had aimed to scale to 100-plus qubits, but wiring, measurement hardware and dilution-refrigerator cooling limits remained major barriers.
Japan is still pushing the field nationally, with plans to send 30,000 young scientists abroad to study AI and quantum research, underscoring the gap between public ambition and private-sector economics.