Reporter Lee Sang-woo
Enter 2023-06-27 20:47
While the government announced its mid- to long-term plan for quantum technology at the national level, world-class quantum scholars predicted that Korea would achieve good results based on active investment and semiconductor-based technology. In particular, it was expected that these achievements would contribute to the global quantum technology market.
At the quantum technology exhibition ‘Quantum Korea 2023’ held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 27th, quantum scholars met with reporters to talk about the direction of quantum technology development.
The event was attended by Duke University Professor Kim Jeong-sang, U.C. Santa Barbara Professor John Martinis, IBM Research Fellow Charles Bennett, and Imperial College Professor Kim Myung-shik.
They predicted that Korea’s semiconductor technology would have a positive impact on the development of quantum computers. This is because the integration technology or quantum capture technology required for quantum computers has a lot in common with the semiconductor process.
Professor John Martinis predicted that Korea will be able to discover opportunities in the quantum computer market based on semiconductor processes and technologies. He said, “The United States has been lucky in the field of quantum technology. Related research started before quantum computers were established, and capital investment continued to increase in the 2000s.” Korea has excellent semiconductor-related technology, and this will bring great opportunities.”
Charles Bennett Fellow said, “Korea is a relatively small country, but its status in the scientific world is greater. (Quantum processors) use silicon as a material, but the technology base is the same as that of semiconductors. Korea is very good in this field.” Explained.
Professor Kim Sang-sang emphasized selection and concentration. He said, “Basic research such as hardware is late, but software and application fields can be started without foundation. Korea is also conducting world-class research in this field.”, It is important to think about which field to focus on.”
In particular, he explained that based on this foundation, it should be able to play a part in the global supply chain. He explained that the quantum industry is also intertwined with a complex supply chain, and that one country cannot oversee all areas of the supply chain. For this reason, he emphasized that Korea should identify and dig into the areas where it can do well in the global value chain.
In response to a question asking how much he thinks of the level of quantum technology in Korea, Professor Kim Myung-sik expressed the opinion that it is more important to think about the direction. He said, “Quantum computing requires a combination of multiple technologies. If Korea plans to develop its own quantum computer, it will have to think about what technology it currently has in this spectrum and what direction it should go.”
Regarding the possibility of realizing a 1,000-qubit quantum computer, which Korea is aiming for, he said, “The goal is not only to make it realistic. Whether it is a good goal is more important than whether it is a reasonable goal. In that sense, Korea has good goals.” added.
Professor Kim Sang-sang also emphasized the importance of manpower. He said, “Korea needs to think about strategies that can lead to the next-generation quantum computer. To do so, researchers with progressive and challenging ideas need to come out. We need to create a system that can support them.”