BCBusiness

18 BCBUSINESS JULY/AUGUST 2019 S O U R C E S : B C H Y D R O, N AT I O N A L E N E R G Y B O A R D, N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S C A N A D A , C L E A N E N E R G Y B C problems too complex for the brawniest classical computers. Traditionally, Fujitsu devel- ops its products and services in Japan, then distributes them to customers around the world. But solutions tailored for Japan's business dynamics and culture don't always translate well to other markets. So Fujitsu is moving to originate its technologies where its global customers are. That transition starts with FIT in Vancouver. "We're taking major steps to expand globally and create core functions—core engineer- ing functions, core executive functions—outside of Japan," explains Dean Prelazzi, FIT's vice-president and head of business development and marketing. "This is the …rst trial," Yoshizawa says of the local organization. FIT's core personnel—the company's technical leads and Yoshizawa herself—are Japan- ese, so they and their families shipped their lives across the Paci…c last year. It took serious commitment, so why did Fujitsu pick B.C. from a literal world of possible choices? Locating in Canada or the U.S. was crucial. "Japan is only 3 percent of the world's AI market," Yoshizawa explains. "Customers in Japan are still suspicious of AI." She says the North American market for AI is 17 to 20 times bigger. "Enterprises in North Amer- ica are ambitious," Prelazzi elaborates. "There's a general early-adopter theme across a wide cross-section of compa- nies in the enterprise scale." Vancouver had become familiar ground after Fujitsu's digital annealer business part- nered with local software …rm 1QB Information Technologies (1QBit) in 2017. The startup reached out to Fujitsu for pro- cessors that could run its spe- cialized optimization software. "Our goal is being able to develop software for the next generation of hard- ware," 1QBit co-founder and CEO Andrew Fursman explains. "We take a particular interest in quantum computing and the devices that have come under this title of quantum-inspired optimization." Quantum computers— devices powered by quantum physics—may be years from being ready for widespread practical use, but Fujitsu's digi- tal annealer is designed to run quantum-inspired algorithms using semiconductor technol- o›y available today. Fujitsu and 1QBit began solving customers' supercomputer-stumping prob- lems well before FIT formally opened last fall. So the seed to choose Vancouver had already been planted by the time Bruce Ralston, B.C.'s minister of jobs, trade and technolo›y, met with Yoshizawa at a trade mission in Tokyo in January 2018. "We had a discussion about what they were doing, and we en- couraged them to think about British Columbia," he recalls. Fujitsu representatives made exploratory visits to Vancouver and had further talks with the federal and provincial governments. "There were no cash subsidies," Ralston says. "They were attracted here by the merits of being in British Columbia." Yoshizawa cites some of the same factors that have attracted other tech …rms to move to the city: supportive federal and provincial govern- ments, a strong talent base in AI and quantum …elds, and a cost-competitive location that shares the same time zone as Silicon Valley. She and Prelazzi see Fujitsu's toehold here grow- ing into a driving force for the global company, and the heart of its AI and quantum-inspired businesses. Those technolo- gies are poised to power leaps ahead in …elds like pharmaceu- ticals discovery, transportation optimization, clinical decision- making and materials sciences. Yoshizawa and Prelazzi are excited for the future. "The potential for AI to help human- ity across so many di¡erent areas is enormous," Prelazzi says, beaming. "And quantum- inspired as well." B.C. is using more power than ever dur- ing summer—so as the province ¢ips on the A/C, we break down the system that helps us keep our cool by Melissa Edwards Say Watt? ( the informer ) G O F I G U R E READ THIS Is there a psychopath in your office? Paul Babiak and Robert Hare know how to spot them, and a new edition of their 2006 book on the subject explains how you can, too. Hare, a UBC emeritus professor and creator of the standard tool for diagnosing psychopathy, and Babiak, an authority on corporate psychopaths, co-developed B-Scan 360, a research tool to measure this problem in the workplace. Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work, on sale in August and updated with the latest scientific research, looks at psychopaths in modern corporations and provides tools to help employ- ers manage them. HarperCollins Canada 416 pages, hardcover, $36.99 7,800 megawatts 34% of B.C. households used air conditioners in 2017, 3X MORE than in 2001 A/C accounts for about 20% of provincial power consumption, or 1,300 megawatts, on the hottest days of summer Industrial Residential B.C.'s electricity consumption by sector: 44% 30% 26% Commercial Highest peak hourly summer power demand to date in B.C., set on July 30, 2018 Days last July with peaks over 7,000 megawatts: 14 Average from 2015-17: 8.7 A V E R A G E E L E C T R I C I T Y P R I C E S IN VANCOUVER, IN CENTS PER KILOWAT T-HOUR, 2017 RESIDENTIAL: 11.83 INDUSTRIAL: 7.05

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