As pressure on organizations rises, the research confirms more and more businesses are frustrated by the slow pace of progress in quantum computing and are excited by today’s availability of the Fujitsu Digital Annealer – a bridging technology able to solve intractable problems at speed, and therefore capable of bringing transformative benefits to businesses right away.
Despite quantum computing being in its infancy today, there is already pent-up demand for its disruptive power, with 81% of business leaders surveyed in the research believing that its arrival will accelerate the optimization of business, logistical and industrial processes, help deliver digital transformation and ensure they remain competitive in fast-changing markets.
Businesses are also frustrated with the slow pace at which the technology is developing, with the study revealing that 50% of respondents do not expect quantum computing to go mainstream in the next decade. At the same time, 89% believe that the insufficient computing power of today’s technology is holding back their business from taking full advantage of combinatorial optimization2 – the process of identifying the optimal solution among a huge array of options – in order to revolutionize business processes.
In fact, such is the pent-up demand for business process optimization that two-thirds of those surveyed (66%) are looking for optimization solutions today, rather than waiting for experimental and possibly unstable quantum computing to arrive far in the future. This is driven by a belief that competitors might gain an unassailable advantage from quantum computing: two-thirds of respondents agree that a competitor’s early adoption of quantum computing would lead to disruption in their business sector.
Driven by the demand for radical breakthroughs brought by real-time optimization of complex business processes, the research indicates a growing recognition among businesses that the Fujitsu Digital Annealer – inspired by quantum computing – bridges the gap to quantum, by enabling organizations to run real-time combinatorial optimization algorithms3 without waiting for quantum computers. According to the study, seven in ten organizations – across diverse industry sectors such as manufacturing, financial services and retail – now recognize Digital Annealer’s potential to accelerate their journey to a quantum-computing future.
Sundar Viswanathan, Head of Emerging Technologies at Fujitsu Oceania, says ”Quantum computing is still in its infancy in terms of applicability and large scale commercial adoption. Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer, is a bridging technology between classical computing and quantum computing and brings to life the possibilities that quantum computing can offer in a consumable manner.
Fujitsu has already deployed Digital Annealer to solve wide range of problem sets such as financial portfolio management, molecular research in drug discovery, job shop scheduling in manufacturing and optimisation of product placements in warehouses to improve picking efficiencies. This demonstration of applicability and commercial availability is driving tremendous interest in Digital Annealer amongst our customers in Australia and New Zealand.”
The Fujitsu Quantum-inspired Digital Annealer solution enables businesses to unlock new potential and become a disruptive force in the digital age by instantly finding the optimal combination of massively complex, previously unmanageable data variables. For example, a premium European automotive manufacturer is using the Digital Annealer to streamline robot welding operations on a production line. This allows more cars to be manufactured in a given time through reducing the need for additional resources in the paint shop4, the most expensive part of a car manufacturing process.
In financial services, one of the UK’s leading financial institutions is exploring how the Fujitsu Digital Annealer can optimize its investment portfolios in real time. Additional use cases include maximizing return on investment for utilities companies and, in the pharmaceutical sector, the discovery of new substances and development of new drugs.
Further examples of combinatorial optimization use cases include improving the efficiency of truck loading for transport and logistics organizations. Fujitsu also leverages the Digital Annealer solution in its own factories, where it has optimized inventory and reduced workers’ traveling distances by 45 percent per month, with a consequent reduction in non-productive time. Governments, too, are fascinated by the potential to achieve climate change targets faster, for example by optimizing transport systems to take real-time traffic conditions into account, therefore helping reduce pollution.
The Digital Annealer solution is available today for trials in Oceania. Along with co-creation services, Fujitsu provides expertise and support in identifying where customers can put the Digital Annealer to work immediately, addressing challenges where a solution was previously never thought possible or practical. Fujitsu also supports customers in integrating the Digital Annealer into production environments. Available immediately as-a-service on a subscription basis, Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer offerings include technical and consulting services, support and optional additional consultancy for solution development. The Digital Annealer can be deployed as a cloud-hosted or on-premises service. Pricing is dependent on the consulting, software development, hosting and maintenance services on offer in conjunction with the Digital Annealer solution.
Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 132,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.0 trillion yen (US $36 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.
Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand is a leading service provider of business, information technology and communications solutions. We partner with our customers to consult, design, build, operate and support business solutions. From strategic consulting to application and infrastructure solutions and services, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand have earned a reputation as the single supplier of choice for leading corporate and government organisations. Fujitsu Australia Limited and Fujitsu New Zealand Limited are wholly owned subsidiaries of Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702). See www.fujitsu.com/au.
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Collin Duff-Tytler
Phone: +61 2 9113 9346
Mobile: +61 409 953 349
E-mail: collin.duff-tytler@au.fujitsu.com
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Date: 16 May, 2019
City: Sydney