Minister Bae Kyung-hun of the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "Although we may be late compared to other countries, we will establish our differentiated competitiveness through the convergence of AI and quantum technology."
On the 21st, Minister Bae held a meeting at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), where he noted during the "Quantum Frontier Strategic Dialogue" that, "Domestic quantum technology development is lagging behind other countries, but we will strengthen policy support, including infrastructure investment, to ensure competitiveness in 10 years," adding that, "We will establish a 'comprehensive quantum plan' looking ahead to the next 10 years by the end of this year."
The event was organized for Minister Bae and experts from academia and industry to discuss the direction for establishing a comprehensive plan for nurturing quantum science technology and industries. This plan is expected to be finalized by the end of this year, in accordance with the 'Act on Promotion of Quantum Science Technology and Industry' enacted last year, and will form the backbone of a national quantum roadmap that is renewed every five years.
The government decided to implement a two-track strategy to achieve results within five years in fields such as computers, communications, and sensors, while also securing medium- to long-term competitiveness. The plan aims to shift the paradigm from traditional basic research-focused investments to an integrated strategy that connects research and development to commercialization and industrial consolidation.
Additionally, to solidify the domestic quantum ecosystem, the government plans to expand infrastructure such as quantum fabs and quantum computing hubs, as well as increase the number of quantum communication demonstration networks to support commercialization. This year, a basic plan for a cluster that will play a pivotal role in research and industry will be established.
Before the meeting, Minister Bae toured the superconducting quantum computing and quantum communication research facilities at KRISS. Researchers introduced plans to develop a '20-qubit quantum computer' and a '50-qubit' system, which they recently succeeded in demonstrating.
A qubit (quantum bit), unlike a traditional computer bit, can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously, leading to a rapid increase in information processing capability as the number of qubits increases. Google solved a problem that would have taken 10,000 years on a supercomputer in just three minutes using its 53-qubit quantum computer in 2019.
KRISS successfully developed the nation's first 20-qubit quantum computer last year. It is currently increasing the number of qubits and is in the process of developing a 50-qubit quantum computer, aiming for next year.
Meanwhile, participants in the meeting included the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Ewha Womans University, Yonsei University, Korea Electronics Technology Institute (ETRI), and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), as well as corporations like Samsung SDS, QTQ Korea, and Q-Simple Plus.
Attendees agreed on the necessity of securing technological competitiveness through the convergence of AI and quantum technologies, proposing key tasks such as nurturing materials, components, and equipment corporations to enter the global supply chain, seizing opportunities in software utilization markets, and training specialized personnel. There were also suggestions that the government should lead quantum security demonstration projects.
Minister Bae remarked, "Through today's Quantum Frontier Strategic Dialogue, we were able to sketch a blueprint for the future 10 years of domestic quantum technology and industry," adding, "We will reflect the convergence of AI and quantum technologies and specialized strategies in the comprehensive plan to prepare for the future."