Technology

SoftBank Corp. and Quantinuum Announce Groundbreaking Partnership Toward Practical Application of Quantum Computing

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2025

Partnership to drive commercial value through practical go-to-market use cases and develop business model for a quantum data center

TOKYO and BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank“) and Quantinuum (“Quantinuum“) announced they agreed to a wide-ranging partnership in quantum computing.

By combining their respective strengths, both companies will unlock innovative quantum computing solutions that will overcome the limitations of classical artificial intelligence (AI) and realize next-generation technologies.

This unique initiative coincides with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) in 2025, and it is expected to ignite new business opportunities through the dynamic fusion of AI and quantum computing.

The Necessity of Quantum Computing Beyond the Limits of AI

In this modern era, AI is delivering impressive results across various domains. However, it is widely recognized that there are still significant challenges that AI alone is struggling to overcome. Complex optimization problems, deciphering causal relationship analysis, and conducting high-precision simulations based on fundamental equations remain formidable obstacles for current AI technologies.

Moreover, the hybrid approach that combines Central Processing Units (CPUs), Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), and Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) holds the potential to further extend the capabilities of AI. By leveraging the unique strengths of each type of processing unit, hybrid systems can execute more advanced and diverse computations, providing innovative solutions that surpass traditional limitations.

SoftBank and Quantinuum believe in the power of quantum computing and are committed to exploring its transformative potential.

Current State and Challenges of Quantum Computing

Despite impressive growth in the quantum computing sector, several technical and business challenges need to be addressed to advance the state-of-the-art so that quantum computers are used to solve practical problems.

(1) Building a Business Model

Initial Investment and Operational Costs: The substantial initial investment and operational costs required for the development and deployment of quantum computers lack concrete cost recovery strategies, which in turn suppresses the drive for companies to develop and adopt the technology.Clarification of Revenue Models: The business models for generating revenue, including the methods of offering quantum computers and setting usage fees, have not yet been fully realized.

(2) Establishing Specific Use Cases

Discovering Use Cases: There is a shortage of use cases that clearly demonstrate which fields quantum computers will be useful in. Understanding the market size and revenue models through clear examples, especially in areas such as quantum chemical calculations and machine learning, is necessary.Understanding the Market and Revenue Predictions: It is crucial to specifically identify the areas where computations can only be performed by quantum computers and are commercially viable, as well as to predict the timing and scale of these applications.

(3) Advancing Hardware and Software Technologies

Limitations and Challenges of Hardware: The current hardware performance (number of qubits and operation precision) of quantum computers is inadequate for handling practical problems, and significant enhancements in performance are needed for practical use.Software Development and Error Mitigation: The development of hybrid algorithms that combine traditional methods, as well as advancements in error suppression, mitigation, and correction technologies, are essential to enable practical computations. Furthermore, developing technologies that mutually complement hardware and software are also indispensable.Timing for Service Provision: Making decisions based on a deep understanding of technology to provide services at the optimal timing requires assessing the speed of technological advancements and market needs.

Key Activities

SoftBank and Quantinuum are committed to addressing these challenges together to advance the practical application of quantum computers.

(1) Joint Market Research & Business Model Development for Quantum Data Center

With a view toward the realization of a “quantum data center” capable of performing advanced calculation processing by combining CPUs, GPUs and quantum computers (QPUs), both companies will use the Japanese market as a foothold to conduct global market research in the Asia-Pacific region and other regions, and explore specific business models based on that research.Both companies will jointly consider methods to reduce investment risks, such as revenue sharing and cost sharing.

(2) Construction of Quantum Use-Case Timelines and Validation

SoftBank will provide its own business challenges as use cases.Both companies will clarify use cases in quantum chemistry and network analysis, and construct a timeline showing when these use cases will be realized. In quantum chemistry, the search for new optical switch materials for All Optical Networks is anticipated, while in network analysis, the application to anomaly detection and fraud detection in SoftBank’s communication network is envisioned.Both companies will develop software technology that makes effective use of limited hardware resources, and explore methods for linking CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs.

Comments from each company

Ryuji Wakikawa, Head of Research Institute of Advanced Technology, SoftBank Corp., commented: “SoftBank believes in the potential of quantum computers and has been testing and evaluating various internal issues using quantum computers, and has started to obtain certain results. However, as a telecommunications operator, there are still many challenges remaining regarding how to provide quantum computing services in Japan. Through our collaboration with Quantinuum, which possesses the world’s highest-performance quantum computer hardware, we aim to be the first in the world to identify problems that can only be solved by quantum computers and look forward to significantly accelerating the practical application of quantum computing.”

Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum, commented: “Our partnership with SoftBank represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of quantum computing. By combining our strengths, we are poised to unlock innovative solutions that will not only enhance the capabilities of AI but also tackle challenges that have long been beyond reach. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a future where quantum technologies drive transformative advancements across multiple industries.”

By integrating quantum computing with AI, this initiative is expected to contribute to problem-solving in diverse fields such as healthcare, finance, logistics, and energy. This collaboration not only addresses unsolved challenges but also creates new market opportunities and fosters technological innovation across society.

About SoftBank Corp.

Guided by the SoftBank Group’s corporate philosophy, “Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone,” SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) operates telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally. Building on its strong business foundation, SoftBank Corp. is expanding into non-telecom fields in line with its “Beyond Carrier” growth strategy while further growing its telecom business by harnessing the power of 5G/6G, IoT, Digital Twin and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions, including High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS)-based stratospheric telecommunications. While constructing AI data centers and developing homegrown LLMs specialized for the Japanese language with one trillion parameters, SoftBank is applying AI to enhance radio access network performance (AI-RAN) with the aim of becoming a provider of next-generation social infrastructure.

To learn more, please visit https://www.softbank.jp/en/.

About Quantinuum

Quantinuum, the world’s largest integrated quantum computing company, pioneers powerful quantum computers and advanced software solutions. Quantinuum’s technology drives breakthroughs in materials discovery, cybersecurity, and next-gen quantum AI. With around 600 employees, including 370+ scientists and engineers, Quantinuum leads the quantum computing revolution across continents.

For more information, please visit the website at www.quantinuum.com.

SoftBank, the SoftBank name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of SoftBank Group Corp. in Japan and other countries.Other company, product and service names in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective companies.

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Technology

Bain & Company named an OpenAI Elite Partner

Published

47 minutes ago

July 20, 2026

BOSTON and SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bain & Company today announced that it has been named an OpenAI Elite Partner, the highest tier within the OpenAI Partner Network.

The OpenAI Partner Network is a global program for partner organizations to build, sell, and deliver AI solutions in association with OpenAI. The network brings together partner firms with deep industry expertise, delivery capabilities, and extensive customer relationships while equipping them with resources, enablement, and support to help client enterprises adopt OpenAI frontier models and products and harness them to deliver measurable impact.

As an OpenAI Elite Partner, Bain & Company will continue working with OpenAI to help client businesses build, deploy, and scale frontier AI solutions responsibly and effectively. With more than three years of joint client work with OpenAI and a recent investment in the OpenAI Deployment Company, Bain brings to these shared endeavors deep industry expertise spanning sectors including private equity, financial services, consumer products, healthcare and technology.

“Being named an OpenAI Elite Partner reflects the strength and impact of our collaboration with OpenAI and our shared commitment to helping client organizations harness frontier AI to create measurable, business value at scale,” said Philippe d’Arabian, executive vice president and global head of partnerships at Bain & Company. “We’ve been building alongside OpenAI since 2022, combining their frontier AI capabilities, like GPT-5.6 and ChatGPT Work, with Bain’s deep industry expertise to accelerate innovation and deliver transformational outcomes for our clients. Our Elite Partner status, along with our recent investment in the OpenAI Deployment Company, reflects our ambition to stay at the forefront of AI innovation across industries.”

“We are pleased to recognize Bain as an OpenAI Elite Partner. Bain’s deep strategy and transformation expertise helps organizations worldwide translate AI strategy into real enterprise outcomes. As one of our earliest partners and enterprise customers, Bain has brought unique insights to help OpenAI better understand what organizations need to deploy AI successfully,” said Colleen Kapase, vice president of strategic global partnerships and ecosystems at OpenAI. “Together, we’re helping enterprises align AI investments to business priorities, adopt AI with confidence, and deliver measurable business outcomes.”

Across its work with OpenAI, Bain combines deep industry expertise, proven AI deployment capabilities, and global delivery capacity to help client organizations to embed AI into their most critical operations, products, and functions. Bain is supporting clients around the world with AI-powered transformation programs, delivering top-line growth through faster product development and improved customer experience, and bottom-line gains from intelligent automation, cost reduction, and supply chain optimization.

Bain is continuing to evolve and deepen its work with OpenAI through new industry-specific AI solutions and expanded enablement offerings, helping customers translate AI ambition into tangible business outcomes.

Learn more about the OpenAI Partner Network: https://openai.com/business/partners/

Media contacts:
Dan Pinkney (Boston) – Email: dan.pinkney@bain.com
Gary Duncan (London) – Email: gary.duncan@bain.com
Ann Lee (Singapore) – Email: ann.lee@bain.com

About Bain & Company

Bain & Company works with leaders worldwide to solve their toughest challenges and deliver enduring results. Since 1973, we’ve partnered with clients, including private equity and portfolio companies, to build the capabilities they need to stay ahead of change and help them redefine their industries. We measure our success by our clients’ success, and we proudly hold the highest levels of client advocacy in our field.

Bain is consistently recognized globally as one of the best places to work. We operate as one global team, uniting strategists, industry and functional experts, technologists, and advisors with a vibrant ecosystem of technology partners.

Notes to Editors

Bain & Company was founded in 1973 and today has 19,000 employees across 67 cities in 40 countries. We have worked with more than two-thirds of the Global 500 and more than 9,000 companies worldwide. Bain has pledged to deliver $2 billion in pro bono consulting to nonprofit, public-sector and charitable organizations by 2035. The firm is consistently recognized as a Leader in major analyst rankings across multiple areas, including digital business, innovation, strategy, experience design, customer experience, and carbon-zero transformation.

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Technology

Paintless Dent Repair Costs Explained in HelloNation Featuring Dent Repair Expert Leo Plourde

Published

47 minutes ago

July 20, 2026

The article examines how paintless dent repair compares with traditional body work in cost, repair time, and preservation of a vehicle’s finish.

BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Is paintless dent repair actually cheaper than traditional body shop repairs for fixing minor vehicle damage? The answer is explored in a HelloNation article, which explains how this repair method can reduce costs while preserving a vehicle’s original finish, featuring insights from Dent Repair Expert Leo Plourde.

The HelloNation article explains that paintless dent repair, often called PDR, has become a widely used option for repairing minor dents and door dings. The process restores the shape of the metal without disturbing the factory paint, which helps avoid many of the steps required in traditional body work.

According to the article, conventional body shop repair often involves sanding the damaged area, applying primer, repainting the panel, and blending the new paint with surrounding surfaces. Each of these steps adds time, labor, and material costs to the repair process.

Paintless dent repair approaches the problem differently. The article describes how technicians use specialized tools to carefully reshape the metal from behind the panel, gradually returning it to its original form. Because the factory paint remains intact, repainting and blending are not required in many cases.

The article notes that this difference is a key reason paintless dent repair can be more affordable than traditional body shop repair. By eliminating paint materials and reducing labor hours, the overall dent repair cost can be significantly lower for minor damage.

The HelloNation article also explains that the speed of the process contributes to its cost effectiveness. Small dents and door dings can often be repaired during a single appointment, allowing vehicle owners to return to their normal schedules quickly.

Dent Repair Experts point out that shorter repair times also reduce indirect costs for drivers. When repairs are completed within hours rather than days, drivers may avoid expenses associated with rental vehicles or alternative transportation.

Another factor influencing dent repair cost is the size and location of the damage. The article notes that minor dents and shallow hail damage are typically well suited for paintless dent repair because the metal can be reshaped without affecting the paint surface.

However, the article also explains that not every dent can be repaired with this method. Deeper creases, damage that has cracked the paint, or dents located on certain panel edges may require traditional body shop repair or a combination of repair techniques.

In these cases, the article advises that experienced technicians can evaluate the damage and recommend the most appropriate solution. Dent Repair Experts often determine whether paintless dent repair alone will restore the panel or whether a hybrid repair approach may be needed.

The HelloNation article also discusses how paintless dent repair can affect insurance decisions. Because the repair cost is typically lower, some drivers choose to handle small dents without filing an insurance claim, which may help avoid increases in premiums.

Insurance companies frequently recognize paintless dent repair as a reliable solution for damage such as hail dents or parking lot door dings. The article explains that reputable repair shops familiar with insurance procedures can also help customers navigate claim documentation when necessary.

Convenience is another advantage discussed in the article. Traditional body work may require several days or even weeks depending on paint curing and shop workload. Paintless dent repair, by comparison, is often completed the same day.

The article concludes that paintless dent repair offers a practical option for many common forms of cosmetic vehicle damage. By preserving the vehicle finish and reducing labor requirements, the method often delivers an efficient balance between quality and affordability.

Is Paintless Dent Repair Cheaper Than Traditional Body Work? features insights from Leo Plourde, Dent Repair Expert of Brooklyn, New York, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation
HelloNation is a premier media platform that connects readers with trusted professionals and businesses across various industries. Through its innovative “edvertising” approach that blends educational content and storytelling, HelloNation delivers expert-driven articles that inform, inspire, and empower. Covering topics from home improvement and health to business strategy and lifestyle, HelloNation highlights leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

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Technology

Reinvestment Fund Announces Frank Fernandez As New President & CEO

Published

47 minutes ago

July 20, 2026

Accomplished Community Leader Brings Strong Experience In Fundraising, Operations, Financial Services and Championing Communities Nationwide

PHILADELPHIA, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reinvestment Fund, a nationally-focused Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) headquartered in Philadelphia, announces that its Board of Directors has appointed Frank Fernandez as the organization’s new President and CEO. Fernandez succeeds Donald Hinkle-Brown, who served Reinvestment Fund for 35 years, including nearly 15 years as President and CEO. Fernandez will officially join Reinvestment Fund in September 2026 and will be based in Philadelphia.

“I am deeply honored to join Reinvestment Fund as its next President and CEO. I look forward to leading and working alongside a team that is so passionately committed to breaking down systemic financial barriers and supporting communities in new and innovative ways,” said Fernandez. “Now more than ever, CDFIs play a vital role in building resilient, inclusive local economies. I look forward to partnering with our staff, board, and the communities we serve to unlock new opportunities to create lasting and meaningful change.”

Since 2020, Fernandez has served as President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, where he managed significant asset growth while overseeing more than $235 million of annual grant-making and impact investments focused primarily on metro Atlanta and throughout Georgia. Prior to that, he served in a senior leadership role at The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in Atlanta, where he launched and led the foundation’s place-based, community revitalization initiative in Atlanta’s historic Westside, as well as directing the foundation’s efforts in global giving, youth development, education, climate resilience, workforce development, and social justice. Earlier in his career, Fernandez led housing and small business support initiatives at Green Doors and PeopleFund in Austin.

Fernandez currently serves on the board of Mission Investors Exchange. He has been honored with the 2005 Austin Livable City Vision Award, the 2008 Austin Under 40 Nonprofit Leadership Award and the 2012 Ernst and Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He was also selected as an inaugural Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow in 2019.

Fernandez holds a B.A. in philosophy from Harvard University and an M.A. in public affairs from The University of Texas at Austin. A Florida native and son of Cuban immigrants, he is dedicated to equity and community impact.

“After a rigorous search, we are thrilled to welcome Frank to lead Reinvestment Fund into our next chapter,” said Saul Behar, Chair of the Reinvestment Fund Board of Directors. “Frank is an impressive leader with a proven commitment to inclusive growth. We are confident that he is the right leader to help us build on our 40-year legacy of innovation and impact.”

As President and CEO, Fernandez will be responsible for overseeing Reinvestment Fund’s strategic direction, expanding its lending and investment portfolios, and deepening partnerships with community stakeholders, philanthropic partners, and investors.

“Frank Fernandez is an extraordinary leader, and we’re honored to have him join us at Reinvestment Fund,” said Marland Buckner, Vice Chair of the Reinvestment Fund Board of Directors and Chair of the search committee. “It is a privilege to welcome him as our organization continues to serve the communities who need it most. His expertise will be an invaluable asset as we continue to strengthen and scale impact across the nation.”

The Board of Directors launched its search for Reinvestment Fund’s next President and CEO in February, after Hinkle-Brown announced that would be stepping down from the role. The search was led by Korn Ferry.

“It has been a great honor to serve as Reinvestment Fund’s President and CEO these last 15 years as we’ve dramatically grown our capabilities and fostered equitable communities that work for all people,” said Hinkle-Brown. “I believe that data advised, place-based investing is our greatest mission success, and one we share with many CDFIs, community foundations and philanthropy. As my successor prepares to take over this leadership role, I feel confident that Frank, with the support of our dedicated team, will build upon Reinvestment Fund’s 40 years of impact and take us to new heights.”

To learn more about Frank Fernandez, please visit https://www.reinvestment.com/insights/reinvestment-fund-announces-new-president-ceo/

For media inquiries or further information, please contact: media@reinvestment.com

About Reinvestment Fund
Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. We bring financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that people in communities across the country have the opportunities they strive for: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs. We use data to understand markets and how transactions can have the most powerful impact, which has consistently earned us the top Aeris rating of AAA for financial strength and four stars for impact management. Our asset and risk management systems have also earned us an AA- rating from S&P. Since our inception in 1985, Reinvestment Fund has provided over $3.2 billion in financing to strengthen neighborhoods, scale social enterprises, and build resilient communities. Learn more at reinvestment.com.

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SOURCE Reinvestment Fund