
By Byron V. Acohido
Basic research, also called pure research, is aimed at advancing scientific theories unfettered by commercial interests.
Related: The case for infusing ethics into Artifical Intelligence.
Basic research is the foundational theorizing and testing scientists pursue in order to advance their understanding of a phenomenon in the natural world, and, increasingly, in the digital realm. NTT Research opened its doors in Silicon Valley in July 2019 to help nurture basic research in three subject areas that happen to be at the core of digital transformation: quantum physics, medical informatics and cryptography.
Backed by Japanese telecom giant NTT Group, this new facility instantly jumped into the vanguard of basic research already underway that will eventually enable the routine use of quantum computers, which, in turn, will open the door to things like driverless cars and Star Trekkian medical treatments.
Along the way, of course, cybersecurity must get addressed. Ongoing basic research in advanced cryptography concepts is pivotal to putting the brakes on widening cyber risks and ultimately arriving at a level of privacy and security that makes sense.
I had a lively discussion about all of this with NTT Research’s Kazuhiro Gomi, president and chief executive officer, and Kei Karasawa, vice president of strategy. These senior executives wholeheartedly support the concept of basic research. Yet at the same time, they’re also charged with keeping an eye on the eventual “productization” of all this rarefied research. For a full drill down on this conversation, please give the accompanying podcast a listen. Here are a few key takeaways:
‘Big dreams’
Lots of big companies sponsor basic research; it’s how progress gets made. An estimated 60% of research and development in scientific and technical fields is carried out by private industry, with academic institutions and government accounting for 20% and 10%, respectively, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
NTT Group, for instance, typically spends more than $3.6 billion annually for … more