Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") has signed a memorandum of understanding ("MOU") with Canadian quantum computer manufacturer D-Wave Systems Inc. ("D-Wave") to jointly develop new business in Japan using D-Wave's quantum computing systems for high-speed optimization.

Optimization technology is used to analyze massive amounts of data under a certain scenario and find optimal combinations yielding the most efficient and effective solution. The technology has been widely used in the logistics industry to determine the most effective trucking routes, as well as in manufacturing to optimize the deployment of factory equipment. In recent years, however, the rapid emergence of IoT and machine learning has brought about a new set of challenges. Specifically, (1) The amount of available data used in optimization analysis had increased, and (2) Systems users increasingly require real-time optimization. High-speed optimization technology is drawing the attention of many industries as a solution to these challenges.

D-Wave‘s quantum computing systems use an innovative optimization technology called “quantum annealing,” which enables the system to solve optimization problems at ultra-high speeds. One of the unique aspects of the quantum computer is its use of natural phenomena to generate solutions, making quantum computers specialized machines for generating optimal combinations. In 2011, D-Wave became the first computer manufacturer in the world to commercialize a quantum computer. Since 2015, interest in D-Wave’s systems has surged, with Google, NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory and other companies and research institutes deploying D-Wave quantum computers for advanced optimization.

Toyota Tsusho views optimization using D-Wave’s quantum computing systems to be a promising technology to build advanced ICT platforms for raising efficiency and generating new value. The technology can be applied to a wide range of fields, from next-generation vehicles, which require advanced connected systems platforms, to logistics, finance, medicine, and the environment. Toyota Tsusho and D-Wave will collaborate to offer D-Wave quantum computing systems in Japan as a way to increase the efficiency of customer solutions and raise value by introducing new optimization technology.