The next quantum race: Who can harness it first?

With Japan's first commercial quantum computer going into operation last month, more global competitors are entering the race to gain an advantage by mastering the next-generation technology, with Germany emerging as a strong contender. In Kawasaki, a city in the Tokyo metropolitan area, sits a commercial quantum computer made by IBM at the Kawasaki Business Incubation Center. Toyota Motor, Hitachi and Toshiba are among the companies that are using the device. Quantum computers are expected to break the limitations of conventional computing. In 2019, Google startled the world by using the technology to solve a problem in 3 minutes and 20 seconds that would have required 10,000 years by a conventional computer.