OCTOBERASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK8Fujitsu and Riken announced the successful development of Japan's second quantum computer on October 5, as part of global research efforts to make the nascent technology practical.As researchers work to eliminate the errors that prevent such systems from providing accurate results, the 64 qubit quantum computer from Fujitsu and state-backed Riken will be integrated with a 40 qubit quantum computer simulator."It's kind of a first or second step, we still have a long way to go," said Shintaro Sato, head of Fujitsu's quantum laboratory.Governments and corporations such as IBM and Alphabet are investing in research for quantum computers, which have the potential to be millions of times faster than the fastest supercomputers.Last year, IBM unveiled a 433-qubit quantum computer. Qubits, or quantum bits, are units of measurement for quantum computers that use quantum mechanics.China, the United States, and other industrial democracies are racing to be first in advanced technology, including quantum computing, with President Joe Biden attempting to stymie some American investment in Chinese efforts to develop the technology. After the Japanese corporation addressed its concerns by promising to sell a portion of its mainline signalling business, Britain's antitrust regulator said it would approve Hitachi's acquisition of Thales' signalling division.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had warned that the 1.7 billion euro ($1.8 billion) merger could undermine competition because both companies and Siemens and Alstom were significant producers of signalling for mainline and urban railroads.Hitachi responded by agreeing to sell its current mainline signalling business in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, which the CMA claimed would ensure that the combination would not harm customers such as Network Rail.After reviewing new evidence, the CMA stated on Oct 4 that it was no longer concerned about competition in urban rail networks such as London Underground.Hitachi has made a similar offer to sell businesses in France and Germany to resolve EU antitrust concerns.The EU antitrust enforcer has set a deadline of November 6 for its judgment. NEWSROOMFUJITSU & RIKEN JOINTLY DEVELOP JAPAN'S SECOND QUANTUM COMPUTERANTI-TRUST REGULATORS APPROVE HITACHI'S ACQUISITION OF THALES' SIGNALLING UNIT
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