NTT: Conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement with ITER

– First private Japanese company to have a Long Term Non-Commercial Cooperation Agreement with the ITER Organization –

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NTT Corporation (NTT, President & CEO: Jun Sawada) concluded a Cooperation Agreement on the ITER Project with the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization (ITER Organization).

By supporting the ITER Project, which has the objective of building the world’s first experimental hydrogen fusion reactor, NTT will accelerate “Development of innovative environment and energy technologies”, and contribute to the reduction of the environmental impact of customers, companies and society.

1. Background

The ITER Project is an extraordinarily large international project that has the objective of building the world’s first experimental hydrogen fusion reactor (ITER) to prove the scientific and technical feasibility of the fusion energy for peaceful purposes. The ITER Organization, an international organization with seven members – Japan, the European Union, Russia, the United States, South Korea, China, and India – is engaged in the ITER Project.

NTT is aiming at “Zero Environmental Impact” by supporting customers, enterprises, and society in reducing their impact on the environment through our R&D aimed at creating innovations that break through conventional limitations and by pursuing business activities designed to decrease deleterious effects on the environment. For example, NTT is preparing to establish the Space Environment and Energy Laboratories, which will undertake research with the goal of creating innovative energy and environmental technologies.

NTT assumes the use of photonic technologies developed for IOWN* concept, and will work to extend the current ICT technologies, which would benefit the ITER Project.

*IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a future communications infrastructure to create a smarter world by using cutting-edge technologies like photonics and computing technologies.

https://www.rd.ntt/e/iown/

2. Scope of Cooperation

Under the strategic intent of this Cooperation Agreement, NTT will collaborate in the following areas.

• Exploration of innovative future Information and Communication Technology, including ultra-high-speed network, ultra-low latency network connectivity, data storage, computing, and global network infrastructure.
• Exploration of the concept “IOWN” including All-Photonics Network, Digital Twin Computing, and Cognitive Foundation.

This is the first time that the ITER Organization has signed a Long Term Non-Commercial Cooperation Agreement with a private Japanese company. As a general ICT player capable of providing full-stack, full-lifecycle services on a global scale, the NTT Group will collaborate on information distribution and control platforms in preparation for ITER’s first plasma in 2025 and beyond.

NTT will work out the details and conclude an implementation agreement.

3. Executive statements

“With an aim of achieving zero environmental impact, NTT is conducting R&D to create the innovations needed to achieve this goal, and carrying out its business activities in a manner that reduces its effects on the environment. Safe and permanent fusion energy is one of the most promising technologies in this important endeavor. We believe that NTT’s groundbreaking R&D activities, including IOWN, and our ability to construct global infrastructure can make a valuable contribution to the ITER Organization, a leading research entity in this area. Under this agreement, we will work closely with the ITER Organization to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power at an industrial scale for the first time in human history.”

-Jun Sawada, President & CEO, NTT

“We, with the seven ITER Members, believe that fusion power can become a clean and safe vital contributor to the global energy mix for our civilization starting in this century for numerous millennium, and the progress of the ITER Project is essential for that path. I am pleased to have global ICT companies like NTT as one of our long-term non-commercial collaboration partners, with the solid capacity to develop advanced global ICT technologies as well as the capability to envision innovative future technologies strategies such as the IOWN concept that fusion will definitively need.”

-Bernard Bigot, Director-General, the ITER Organization

About NTT

NTT believes in resolving social issues through our business operations by applying technology for good. We help clients accelerate growth and innovate for current and new business models. Our services include digital business consulting, technology and managed services for cybersecurity, applications, workplace, cloud, data center and networks all supported by our deep industry expertise and innovation.

As a top 5 global technology and business solutions provider, our diverse teams operate in 88 countries and regions and deliver services to over 190 of them. We serve 85% of Fortune Global 100 companies and thousands of other clients and communities around the world.

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