November 2023 Vol. 21 No. 11

View from the Top

• Seiji Maruyama, President and Chief Executive Officer, NTT QONOQ

  

  Abstract
  NTT QONOQ was created by NTT DOCOMO, which focuses on communication between people. NTT QONOQ aims to create new experiences that zigzag between real and digital spaces with the hopes to enrich people’s minds and energize society, going beyond distance, time, and imagination. We interviewed Seiji Maruyama, president and chief executive officer of NTT QONOQ, who is working toward creating a market for extended reality (XR), about the status of the company’s business and his mindset as a top executive.

Front-line Researchers

• Hideki Yamamoto, Senior Distinguished Researcher, NTT Basic Research Laboratories

  

  Abstract
  A newly developed elemental source-sequencing technique has further advanced NTT’s world-leading complex-oxide-thin-film growth technology, which allows for synthesis of artificial materials consisting of alternating layers of different materials with molecular-layer thicknesses, culminated in the discovery of a new superconductor. Synergetic integration of the thin-film growth technology and process informatics has enabled efficient preparation of the world’s highest-quality thin films of oxides in existence, which has led to the observation of new physical properties in an oxide previously unsubstantiated. We interviewed Hideki Yamamoto, a senior distinguished researcher at NTT Basic Research Laboratories, who is conducting research on new materials synthesis and on their physical properties, about the above achievements, his thoughts on superconductors, which are expected to be used in the environmental and energy-related fields, and his attitude as a leader of a world-class research team.

Rising Researchers

• Yusuke Ujitoko, Distinguished Researcher, NTT Communication Science Laboratories

  

  Abstract
  Haptic presentation technologies that can express a sense of touch in a variety of ways are continuing to progress. On the other hand, “What kind of haptic experience do people want?” has not yet been clarified, and as a result, the spread of haptic content in society has not made much progress. Going forward, creating haptic content that people want to experience will require an understanding of the psychological aspects of the sense of touch as in “What do people want to touch?” In this interview, we talked with NTT Distinguished Researcher Yusuke Ujitoko to learn about “scientific understanding of the desire to touch and haptic presentation methods based on crossmodal perception” that aims to popularize haptic content in the future by clarifying the “desire to touch” from large-scale data such as social media and using haptic presentation methods.

Feature Articles: Efforts to Speed Up Practical Application of Quantum Computers

• Toward Creation of a System Architecture for Quantum Computers

  

  Abstract
  To achieve innovations in the era of the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN), for example, predicting the future by Digital Twin Computing, a computing infrastructure that supports ultrahigh-speed and ultra-large-scale computing is needed. This need has led to a growing interest in quantum computers, which execute operations in a completely different way than conventional computers. NTT Computer and Data Science Laboratories is engaged in both (i) theoretical research to create system architectures that maximize the capabilities of quantum computers and (ii) development of system and software technology for practical applications of quantum computers.

• A Computing System for Supporting Application Development Using Ising Machines

  

  Abstract
  One of the problems that conventional computers, such as those based on central processing units, cannot solve is the combinatorial optimization problem, the solution to which is a pattern from among a huge number of combinations of patterns that satisfies a certain condition. Operating on the basis of a new principle, an Ising machine is a computer that specializes in solving this problem. However, there are many challenges to using an Ising machine, such as converting real-world problems into a format that the Ising machine can handle. Research and development of a software development kit and computing system that overcome these challenges are introduced in this article.

• Design and Development of Superconducting-quantum-computer System

  

  Abstract
  To scale up quantum computers to a practical size and provide them as a service, the abstraction of computing systems with a large number of quantum bits is a key step towards practical quantum computing. As a milestone to this goal, NTT, RIKEN, and collaborators launched a quantum computing service with 64 quantum bits in March 2023. In this article, NTT’s efforts in this development to control a largescale quantum computer and make it a cloud service are described. The configuration of the cloud service and future prospects of quantum computing are also explained.

• Quantum Error Mitigation and Its Progress

  

  Abstract
  Quantum computers are expected to solve several problems faster than any classical computer. Current quantum hardware is significantly affected by computation errors. Error reduction is thus required to obtain meaningful results from quantum computers. Quantum error mitigation (QEM) methods, which are a class of hardware-friendly error-reduction methods not relying on the encoding of quantum information, are being actively researched. In this article, I review the major QEM methods. I then introduce the recent progress in QEM technologies proposed by our research group. First, I review the worlds’ first quantum sensing method incorporating QEM. I then review the generalized quantum subspace expansion method, quite a general unified framework of QEM.

• Toward Early Fault-tolerant Quantum Computing

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces new approaches to develop early fault-tolerant quantum computing (early-FTQC) such as improving efficiency of quantum computation on encoded data, new circuit efficiency techniques for quantum algorithms, and combining error-mitigation techniques with fault-tolerant quantum computation.

Global Standardization Activities

• Trends in Security Standardization at ITU-T SG17

  

  Abstract
  The International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Study Group (SG) 17 is a de jure organization that deals with security. Another such organization is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Joint Technical Committee (JTC) 1/Subcommittee (SC) 27. This article introduces the efforts of ITU-T SG17 and outlines trends in security standardization by comparing them with JTC 1/SC 27.

Information

• Event Report: NTT Communication Science Laboratories Open House 2023

  

  Abstract
  On 1 and 2 June, NTT Communication Science Laboratories (CS Labs) hosted the Open House on-site for the first time in four years. We presented 6 talks and 16 exhibits of our latest research efforts in information and human sciences at the event, attracting more than 400 visitors over the two days. We also featured videos of the talks and exhibits on the Open House 2023 website, which received over 3000 views in 20 days after the event.

External Awards

• External Awards