D-Wave and Japan Tobacco collaborate on quantum AI-driven drug discovery to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation

Insider letter:

• D-Wave Quantum Inc. and Japan Tobacco's pharmaceutical division have announced a joint proof-of-concept project to use quantum computing and artificial intelligence for drug discovery, particularly through the Quantum AI-driven Drug Discovery process.

• JT's pharmaceutical team will leverage D-Wave's annealing quantum computing solutions to improve the speed and quality of training of its AI-driven analysis systems, with the goal of discovering best-in-class small pharmaceutical compounds.

• After proof of concept, JT plans to further develop these quantum AI-driven systems and integrate quantum computing into manufacturing operations for future drug discovery.

PRESS RELEASE – D-Wave Quantum Inc., a leading provider of quantum computing systems, software and services and the world's first commercial quantum computing provider, and the pharmaceutical division of Japan Tobacco Inc. today announced plans to collaborate on a joint proof of concept. conceptual project that will utilize quantum computing technology and artificial intelligence in the drug development process, i.e. “Quantum AI-driven Drug Discovery”.

Supported by D-Wave's team of professional services experts, the AI ​​team in JT's pharmaceutical division will leverage D-Wave's annealing quantum computing solutions as an accelerator for the speed and quality of training of JT's novel AI-driven analytical systems to expand the scope expand such AI systems in the area of ​​drug development (AI-driven drug design). The aim of the project is to develop a new process for the discovery of first-class small pharmaceutical ingredients.

“In our development of AI-driven drug discovery systems, we have focused on and explored quantum computing technologies as speed and quality accelerators in the drug development process,” said Dr. Masaru Macheno, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of JT's Pharmaceutical Research Center. “In this context, we are investigating our novel theories and systems in our joint proof-of-concept project and therefore have high expectations for the effectiveness of D-Wave's annealing quantum computing solutions. By using D-Wave’s quantum technology, we want to advance a new standard that will significantly accelerate the speed and quality of drug research and expand the research space for small pharmaceutical ingredients.”

“Pharmaceutical companies must maintain their competitiveness while addressing the challenges of difficulty, uncertainty and duration in developing new drugs, and create an environment that accelerates the speed and quality of AI drug discovery,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. “D-Wave is committed to supporting JT’s pharmaceutical division in maximizing the capabilities of AI through quantum computing technology, with the goal of expanding the exploration space for small pharmaceutical ingredients.”

Following the proof-of-concept project, JT's pharmaceutical division plans to further advance the developed quantum AI-driven drug discovery analysis systems and eventually move the application of quantum computing technology into manufacturing operations.

About JT Pharma

JT began its pharmaceutical business in 1987 with a mission to develop original and innovative medicines for patients with diseases around the world. To find out more, visit

About D-Wave Quantum Inc.

D-Wave is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software and services and is the world's first commercial provider of quantum computers – and the only company to produce both annealing quantum computers and gate model quantum computers. Our mission is to unlock the power of quantum computing today for the benefit of business and society. We achieve this by delivering customer value with practical quantum applications to problems as diverse as logistics, artificial intelligence, materials science, drug development, scheduling, cybersecurity, fault detection and financial modeling. D-Wave's technology has been used by some of the world's most advanced organizations, including Mastercard, Deloitte, Davidson Technologies, ArcelorMittal, Siemens Healthineers, Unisys, NEC Corporation, Pattison Food Group Ltd., DENSO, Lockheed Martin, Forschungszentrum Jülich and University of Southern California and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

SOURCE