Quantum IT

Quantum computing is a fundamentally new computational model based on quantum physics. When brought to fruition a quantum computer is likely to far surpass the capabilities of all classical computers, including today's supercomputers. In contrast to classical computers that use bits as their basic unit of information, a quantum computer works with “quantum bits”, or "qubits" which are quantum superpositions of the usual "0" and "1" states. Information processing in a quantum computer is conducted by a series of quantum gate operations on the qubits. The aim is to use the extra degrees of freedom offered by these superpositions in order to perform information processing tasks that are difficult for classical computers.

In 1999, NEC succeeded in controlling the quantum state of one qubit made of small superconductors. This was the world’s first realization of a one-qubit rotation gate in a solid state device. In 2003, a joint NEC/RIKEN experiment demonstrated the world’s first two-qubit gate in a solid-state device, namely the controlled-NOT gate. It is known that one-qubit rotations together with the controlled-NOT are enough to implement any quantum algorithm. Hence the NEC experiments are a first step in the direction of building a scalable quantum computer.

NEC Labs America does basic research in theoretical aspects of quantum computing. This includes searching for new quantum algorithms, understanding decoherence effects in physical systems, investigating methods to protect quantum systems from noise, exploring the intriguing features of quantum communication, and in general, finding new applications of this revolutionary model of computation.