On July 7, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) announced that it has been selected as the lead organization for the “Quantum Computing Service and Utilization System Establishment Project” driven by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
This project is a core national research and development (R&D) initiative aiming to establish a nationwide foundation for utilizing quantum computing and to build a hybrid computing service system integrating supercomputers and quantum computers.
Megazone Cloud participates as a joint research institution, while SDT Co., Sookmyung Women’s University, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), and Kumoh National Institute of Technology are involved as commissioned research institutions.
The project will involve collaboration in various fields, ranging from quantum computer construction to service platform development, quantum-supercomputing hybrid technology development, and user support and dissemination.
In particular, the next-generation quantum computer “Tempo” will be imported from the leading U.S. quantum computer company IonQ and installed at the Daejeon headquarters.
Tempo is a next-generation quantum computer with the capability to process 2 to the power of 100 computations simultaneously, boasting a performance level of 100 qubits (qubits, a superposed state possessing information of both 0 and 1, are the computational units of quantum computers).
The research team explained that this ion trap technology, which uses electric fields to trap charged ions and controls them with lasers, offers advantages such as long coherence times (interference of waves), high fidelity, and scalability.
Through this project, KISTI plans to establish a quantum computing demonstration and research infrastructure and implement a hybrid computing platform in conjunction with the upcoming sixth national supercomputer scheduled to be operational next year.
Director Lee commented, “The quantum computer introduced will be utilized not only as a standalone system but also in hybrid computing with the supercomputer, enabling effective use by domestic researchers, students, and corporate experts.”