Quantum Computing is no longer a technology of the distant future but one that has begun to be used to solve real problems. It will become a new technological paradigm for tackling problems that are difficult to solve with conventional computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Petra Florizoone, IBM Quantum global sales director, emphasized this at a press briefing for IBM Quantum Connect APAC held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 19th, explaining the industrial applicability of Quantum Computing. Director Florizoone defined Quantum Computing as the "second quantum revolution" and said it is moving beyond the research and experimental stage and entering a phase where it is applied to the actual workflows of corporations and research institutions.
The core concept presented by Director Florizoone is "quantum utility." Quantum utility refers to the stage where Quantum Computing is used in a meaningful way to solve real problems, rather than remaining at theoretical possibility or experimental verification. If semiconductors and lasers led the first quantum revolution, the explanation is that Quantum Computing is now expanding as a tool to solve hard problems across industries, including new drug development, new materials research, financial risk analysis, and logistics optimization.
Director Florizoone stressed that the practical value of Quantum Computing comes from its combination with conventional computing. Florizoone said, "IBM is enhancing real-world problem-solving capabilities through a Quantum centric supercomputing architecture that combines central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and quantum processing units (QPUs)," adding, "This means quantum computers do not replace existing computers, but, in combination with classical computing, provide new computational capabilities for specific problems."
Representative cases included joint research with Cleveland Clinic and RIKEN. Director Florizoone said, "IBM collaborated with them to run protein complex simulations of up to 12,635 atoms," and explained, "It is the largest among cases using quantum hardware and, as research targeting biologically meaningful molecules, shows that Quantum Computing is extending into real-world research problems in life sciences and chemistry."
Director Florizoone also emphasized that advances in quantum technology are being made around ecosystems, not competition by individual corporations. Director Florizoone said, "IBM is simultaneously expanding quantum technology and use cases based on a collaborative network involving more than 300 corporations and research institutions," and added, "Quantum infrastructure software corporation Q-CTRL leveraged the IBM Quantum platform to achieve more than a 3,000-fold speed improvement over classical computing in materials science simulations."
Director Florizoone explained that Quantum Computing is moving from the current "utility" stage to an "advantage" stage. Quantum Supremacy refers to a stage that demonstrates, in a verifiable way, that a quantum computer is better than existing computers on specific problems. Florizoone said, "We expect it to evolve into a commercial stage with error correction in the future," adding, "To that end, IBM is enhancing hardware performance and stability while simultaneously advancing application technologies for solving real problems."
Director Florizoone said, "Quantum Computing is not a technology that will suddenly appear in the future but one we must prepare for now," adding, "We will expand the industrial applicability of quantum technology through cooperation with corporations, research institutions, and governments in global markets, including Korea."