ETP4HPC Releases 6th Edition of its Strategic Research Agenda

Japan's NTT, the fourth largest telecommunications company in the world, recently announced the formation of a cooperative organization of Japanese firms designed to promote Japan's technical position in quantum technologies and to help Japan complete globally with US and Chinese rivals in both quantum computing and quantum communications. The inaugural meeting of the group, held in late May 2021, was attended by 11 Japanese companies, including leading IT suppliers Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, and Toshiba as well as industrial partners including Toyota Motor, Mitsubishi Chemical, and the Mizuho Financial Group. More than 50 companies are ultimately expected to join the group.

HPC datacenters have been improving their energy consumption and environmental sustainability profiles. Verne Global, a high-intensity-compute cloud colocation services provider, has emerged as a leader in delivering 100 percent renewable, global HPC cloud resources, powered by Iceland's natural hydroelectric and geothermal energy. Digital 9 Infrastructure plc (D9), a newly formed UK- based investment trust company that invests in a range of digital infrastructure assets, has acquired Verne Global in a deal valued at approximately £231 million.