Busan and IBM Sign MOU to build Quantum Computing Ecosystem
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The quantum computing ecosystem will support quantum computers for commercially use over the long-term. The ecosystem is being devised by Busan as an effort to develop applications for industrial use and offer quantum advantages to industries and developers.
On June 10, the city shared news of an MOU to shape the quantum computer ecosystem with IBM, a U.S.-based leading global ICT company specializing in quantum computing technology development.
As the City of Busan is seeking extensive cooperative relations with IBM to use quantum computing as a driving force for local economic development, Busan officials expect the city to lead the expansion of quantum technology in Korea, which is still in its infant stage.
The quantum computer is an innovative next-generation technology using ground-breaking features, such as intertwining and overlapping, etc. It is known to be a super high-speed computational computer that can solve problems within 200 seconds, which would normally take 10,000 years with a supercomputer.
The Korean government selected quantum computing as one of the top 10 national strategic technologies in December 2021. The Korean government is accelerating the construction of the quantum computing ecosystem, including 50 qubits* quantum computer development by 2026 and the cultivation of 1,000 key quantum personnel by 2030.
* Qubit or quantum bit: the basic unit of a quantum computer or quantum information
Quantum computing is a new computing technology completely different from existing computers, and it is known to answer problems difficult or impossible to solve using existing supercomputers.
Quantum computing has the potential to allow strategic industries to create new value by providing creative problem-solving methods in diverse business areas, including medicine development, next-generation battery design, analysis of corrosion, vehicle structure analysis, and new materials development. Consequently, quantum computing may represent a newly growing sub-industry by adding value to already established industries.
IBM offers the world's largest unit of quantum computers and has built an active user base of more than 400,000 community users, the likes of which activate billions of circuits daily within the IBM quantum system. The community has developed application uses in battery chemistry, marine transportation, OLED material design, and machine learning fields, as well as published over 1,800 research reports thus far.
The city of Busan plans to continue its relationship with IBM by offering IBM's quantum computing technology to local public institutions and research institutions. The goal is to support the public investment cycle in order to foster the commercial quantum industry within the Busan region.
IBM Quantum Head Researcher Jay Gambetta remarked, "Busan and IBM agreed to make efforts to accelerate local industries by combining quantum computing technology in all fields ranging from industrial research to the education of students."
Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon emphasized, "It is not far away for quantum computers to upgrade human civilization beyond the digital transformation." He added, "We plan to develop Busan as a hub of the new ICT industry by elevating Korean science and technology research to world-class status, using quantum computers and building a quantum computing complex."
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