On May 21, 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel participated in the launch of several new landmark education initiatives. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Japanese Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Nagaoka Keiko signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Education. Following the Memorandum signing, leading U.S. and Japanese technology companies and universities announced more than $210 million of investment in academic partnerships focused on quantum computing and semiconductor engineering.
“These partnerships are about seizing economic opportunity and strengthening economic security,” U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said. “When we connect leading companies with leading colleges, we position ourselves to lead in critical technologies.”
The Memorandum of Cooperation will initiate an annual high-level education dialogue between the United States and Japan that enables our two governments to create opportunities for students, faculty, and researchers to create safe and reliable technologies.
Alongside the signing of the Memorandum, U.S. technology companies IBM, Google, and Micron and 13 top universities initiated a series of groundbreaking partnerships in quantum science and semiconductor research and development. These partnerships, including more than $210 million in funding by the companies, will strengthen a talent pipeline in critical technologies with a trusted ally to promote economic opportunity and protect economic security.
IBM announced a $100 million/10-year partnership with the University of Chicago and University of Tokyo to develop the world’s first quantum-centric supercomputer powered by 100,000 qubits. Google committed to a $50 million/10-year strategic partnership with the University of Tokyo and University of Chicago focused on research and development, as well as workforce development. Micron launched a $60 million/five-year partnership with 11 universities: Purdue University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Washington, Boise State University, Virginia Tech, Hiroshima University, Tohoku University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, and Tokyo Institute of Technology.
“Education is a down payment on the leaders and economies of tomorrow,” said Ambassador Emanuel. “We are making a down payment on America and Japan, and on the future of the U.S.-Japan relationship. And this is just the start. Developing a pipeline of talent with trusted partners begins here, but it does not end here.”
For more information, please see the U.S. State Department Fact Sheet.
