Mitsubishi Electric Backs OptQC’s Optical Quantum Computing Hardware

Leveraging optical quantum technology and market insights for industrial use

TOKYO, Sept. 15, 2026 — Mitsubishi Electric Corporation today announced that its ME Innovation Fund has invested in OptQC Corp., a Japanese startup that develops and provides optical quantum computer hardware. This is the fund’s sixteenth investment to date.

Quantum computing is transitioning from research to practical applications, including the rapid acceleration of technological development for industrial use. These applications require hardware equipped with a large number of qubits, and among the various approaches, optical quantum computing offers superior qubit scalability and energy efficiency.

OptQC is a startup originating from the University of Tokyo. It was established based on technologies developed by the university’s Furusawa Laboratory, a world leader in optical quantum computing. The company’s optical quantum computer features proprietary architecture designed to limit increases in system size as the number of qubits grows. Its hardware technology is highly regarded for its suitability for large-scale systems. OptQC has also established a track record of progress toward practical applications, including delivering its first commercial system to a public research institution and hardware modules to private-sector companies.