Japanese Port Authorities Collaborate with Fujitsu to Launch Quantum Pilot for Intermodal Scheduling
March 22, 2022
Japan has long been recognized as a global leader in shipping, industrial modernization, and efficient logistics systems. On March 22, 2022, the nation made another step forward by embracing quantum-inspired computing to address one of its most pressing infrastructure challenges: coordinating intermodal transport across seaports, rail networks, and trucking carriers.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), in collaboration with the ports of Yokohama and Kobe, partnered with Fujitsu Limited to launch a pilot program designed to optimize scheduling through Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer platform. While not a full quantum computer, the Digital Annealer leverages quantum-inspired techniques to solve complex combinatorial optimization problems, making it well-suited for large-scale logistics applications.
Quantum Computing Meets Japanese Port Modernization
Ports are the beating heart of Japan’s import-export economy. With over 90% of trade volume moving through maritime gateways, efficient coordination between sea, rail, and road transport is essential. Yet legacy scheduling systems—many built decades ago—are increasingly strained by surging trade flows, pandemic-related disruptions, and growing pressure to decarbonize.
The March 2022 pilot represented Japan’s first significant attempt to apply quantum-inspired optimization directly to port operations. By deploying Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer, authorities sought to dynamically align berth allocation, container slotting, and handoffs between trucks and rail operators. Unlike static scheduling systems, the Digital Annealer could respond in real time to disruptions ranging from weather delays to labor shortages, recalculating optimal schedules in seconds.
The Logistics Challenge: Bottlenecks in Modal Coordination
Japan’s intermodal hubs face several operational bottlenecks:
Misaligned container unloading and rail departures: Ships often unload cargo hours before connecting trains are ready, causing costly storage delays.
Idle truck waiting times: Drivers frequently wait long hours at terminals for containers that are not yet positioned.
Underutilized yard equipment: Inefficient slotting reduces throughput and increases operational costs.
Traditional scheduling software struggles with the sheer scale of these problems. Variables like ship arrival times, labor availability, weather conditions, and equipment capacity interact in unpredictable ways, creating a high-dimensional optimization challenge.
Quantum-inspired systems, such as Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer, are uniquely positioned to handle such complexity.
The Fujitsu Digital Annealer Advantage
Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer simulates the mathematical process of quantum annealing using classical hardware. This allows it to rapidly evaluate massive solution spaces and identify optimal or near-optimal answers to complex problems.
For the port pilot, the Digital Annealer was tasked with:
Dynamic berth allocation: Matching ship arrivals with optimal docking slots.
Container slot scheduling: Assigning containers to yard positions that minimize retrieval times.
Truck-rail-maritime synchronization: Ensuring handoff windows between modes are precisely aligned.
The platform had previously been applied in Japanese finance and supply chain projects, but this pilot marked its first use in maritime logistics.
Pilot Structure: Yokohama and Kobe Lead the Charge
The ports of Yokohama and Kobe were chosen for the pilot due to their heavy cargo volumes and established intermodal infrastructure.
Port of Yokohama: One of Japan’s largest ports, handling over 35 million tons of cargo annually, with a strong emphasis on container traffic.
Port of Kobe: A historic trade hub with a strategic position in western Japan’s logistics network.
Both ports collaborated with JR Freight and trucking operators to feed real-time data into Fujitsu’s system. The Digital Annealer processed these inputs to generate scheduling recommendations, which were compared against traditional planning methods.
Early Results: Reduced Idle Times and Bottlenecks
The March 2022 trials ran in parallel with existing systems, ensuring no operational risk. The results were promising:
11% reduction in average truck idle time at terminals.
15% improvement in berth utilization, increasing overall throughput.
More reliable intermodal handoffs, particularly during weather disruptions.
Stakeholders noted that the ability to continuously adapt schedules in real time marked a significant improvement over static, rule-based systems.
Japan’s National Quantum Strategy and Port Digitization
The pilot aligned closely with Japan’s broader technology roadmaps.
Quantum Technology Innovation Strategy (2020): Japan’s national framework for advancing quantum applications in transport, finance, and manufacturing.
Smart Port Initiative (MLIT): A mandate to digitize all major Japanese ports by 2025, integrating AI, IoT, 5G, and quantum-inspired optimization.
Society 5.0 Vision: Japan’s national effort to integrate cyber-physical systems, where quantum technologies play a role in real-time optimization.
By embedding quantum-inspired tools into its port modernization agenda, Japan signaled its intent to compete globally on both efficiency and innovation.
Global Context: Smart Ports and Quantumization
Japan is not alone in its quantum logistics experiments.
PSA Singapore partnered with D-Wave in 2022 to test crane scheduling optimization.
Port of Hamburg collaborated with Airbus to study quantum-enhanced air-sea scheduling.
Port of Los Angeles began developing digital twins incorporating quantum algorithms.
The Japanese pilot adds momentum to this global movement, showing that practical, near-term quantum-inspired applications can be deployed before fully fault-tolerant quantum computers arrive.
Strategic Implications and Roadmap
Following the pilot, MLIT announced plans to expand testing to the ports of Nagoya and Osaka Bay, while Fujitsu signaled its intent to extend the solution to railway cargo operators, trucking dispatch systems, and warehouse scheduling.
The long-term vision is end-to-end logistics synchronization, from vessel arrival to last-mile delivery. MLIT also linked the initiative to Japan’s green corridor programs, positioning quantum-inspired optimization as a tool for reducing emissions through better resource use.
Challenges and Human Factors
Despite the encouraging results, challenges remain:
Legacy IT systems at ports must be upgraded to integrate seamlessly with optimization platforms.
Human trust and adoption: Dispatchers and schedulers must be trained to understand and rely on AI- and quantum-aided decisions.
Data completeness: Ensuring consistent real-time feeds from weather, traffic, and equipment remains a technical hurdle.
Fujitsu is addressing these issues through explainable AI interfaces and joint training programs with port authorities.
Conclusion
Japan’s March 22, 2022 pilot represents a significant milestone in applying quantum-inspired optimization to real-world logistics. By reducing idle times, improving berth utilization, and enabling dynamic intermodal coordination, the Fujitsu-powered project demonstrates that quantum-inspired computing is more than a theoretical promise—it is a practical tool for today’s infrastructure challenges.
As MLIT and Fujitsu expand the rollout to more ports and logistics nodes, Japan is positioning itself at the forefront of smart port innovation. The initiative not only supports economic efficiency and supply chain resilience but also contributes to environmental goals by minimizing wasted fuel and emissions.
In the broader context of global logistics, the Japanese pilot signals a new era: quantum-enhanced optimization is emerging as a competitive edge. Nations and companies that adopt these technologies early may define the future of freight mobility well before fully realized quantum computers arrive.