Speaker Interview: Masayoshi Matt Terabe Head of quantum transformation (QX) project Sumitomo Corporation, Visiting Associate Professor Tohoku University

Masayoshi “Matt” Terabe is Head of Project, Quantum Transformation at Sumitomo Corp. and a Visiting Associate Professor at Tohoku University.

First Steps in Quantum

Having worked as a semiconductor hardware engineer, Matt’s entry into the quantum sphere came by way of an ‘aha moment’. “Around 2015, I came across an article about D-Wave and thought, ‘this is going to change the world.’ When this new hardware comes out, the world will change.” The potential for quantum computing’s application across a wide range of industries motivated him to join Sumitomo Corp., where he launched the Quantum Transformation (QX) project, which aims to change society through the power of quantum technology. “I am now involved in a broad range of activities, including application development, fundamental technology development, startup investment, and ecosystem formation,” he explains.

Progress in Japan: Anticipating the Future

Terabe is bullish on the outlook for quantum computing in Japan. “Many of the world’s first quantum application demonstrations have come out of Japan”, name-checking the likes of Denso’s factory and Recruit’s advertising applications. More recently, he adds, “we demonstrated flying cars and drone control”, suggesting that the work being carried out in Japan very much “anticipates the future.”

Innovation Outlook: What’s in the Pipeline?

Beyond faith in his country’s ability to set the pace of change in quantum tech, Matt is also optimistic about the outlook for innovations in the near term across a number of key areas:

• Traffic Control - Terabe is enthusiastic about quantum’s ability to deliver impactful innovation in flying car traffic control, which will be a necessity given that, in his view, flying cars will take off (pun intended) in the 2020s, with there being up to hundreds of thousands in the skies above our cities in ten years’ time. “They will fly at speeds of up to 200 km/h and will need to be controlled in three dimensions and at high speed, taking into account weather and radio conditions. This is exactly the kind of era in which quantum computers will be very powerful, so it is important that we work to create such a future,” he explains.
• Energy: Energy is another area in which Terabe is confident that quantum tech has the ability to deliver the kind of impact that will benefit society as a whole. In the context of the global push to combat climate change, more energy will inevitably be created from renewable sources, such as solar power plants and wind farms. Given that renewable energy supply is inherently unstable, dependent as it is on weather conditions, storing, managing and optimising energy flows will be critical. Here, for Terabe, is where quantum can contribute: “We are working on converting energy to hydrogen and storing electricity in EV batteries, but in the future, when the number of nodes increases, large-scale optimization will have to be done instantaneously. In such an era, quantum computers will provide a very attractive solution.”
• Smart Cities: Citing another mega-trend – the demographic shift towards denser urban dwelling and the coinciding reliance on technology to manage life in increasingly complex environments – Terabe tips quantum to drive innovation in the realm of smart cities, too: “We [at Sumitomo Corp.] are doing large-scale smart city developments in Hanoi, Vietnam and many other places around the world.” And the goal of their efforts? “We are envisioning a quantum ‘living lab’ where quantum where quantum applications will be demonstrated in our daily lives.”

Cultivating ‘Bilingual’ Talent: The Task of Academia & Industry

Although poised at an exciting juncture, the quantum computing sector is struggling with a lack of talent. Terabe observes that there is a shortage of quantum-skilled engineers but is buoyed by the fact that the “training of ‘quantum native’ engineers has begun.” Still, it will take some time before this wave of talent really begins to make its mark felt. In the meantime, Terabe is concerned with another pressing need: “From the perspective of industry, we need “quantum bilingual” people who understand both quantum and industry, rather than just those who understand only quantum, but those people are in even shorter supply.” This is where key stakeholders have their work cut out for them, but Terabe is positive about the outlook for “cross-disciplinary efforts improving as academia and industry work more closely together.”

The Five-Year View: What Will Have Changed?

In Terabe’s view, the most promising developments within the next five years will be in the underlying technology rather than quantum’s real-world applications. “I believe that small-scale fault tolerant quantum computers are on the horizon,” he predicts. Still, he admits that “efforts to develop materials to address climate change are gaining momentum,” and this is where we will start to see real-world value soonest. A dynamic field at a tipping point, the world of quantum computing is, for Terabe, “like a treasure hunt”, with the search for where to deliver impact kicking into high gear. It is a challenge he is taking on with gusto.

Masayoshi “Matt” Terabe, Head of Project, Quantum Transformation at Sumitomo Corp will be giving a keynote on 20th September, day 1 of Quantum.Tech Europe exploring quantum transformation - what are the challenge of quantum application development from underground to outer space? Make sure you don't miss out learning from Masayoshi Matt Terabe by registering for Quantum.Tech Europe here.