Original Article: https://www.dongascience.com/ko/news/80079
French quantum computer company Quandela has evaluated Korea as a long-term cooperation partner and unveiled a collaboration plan to foster it as a manufacturing and research hub for quantum computing in Asia.
At a meeting held in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 28th, Nicolo Somarski, CEO of Quandela, stated, “Korea is a key partner, not a sales market,” and presented semiconductor-based hardware manufacturing, system integration, the combination of AI and high-performance computing (HPC), and the industrialization of large-scale quantum computers as key areas of cooperation.
At this meeting, directions for forming a quantum manufacturing consortium involving Korean companies and research institutions were presented. The principle applied is that each institution retains its existing intellectual property (IP) while newly created IP is shared based on roles and contributions.
Specific examples of ongoing cooperation with Korea were presented. Quandela is conducting joint development of optical devices with Professor Young-Ik Son’s team at KAIST. CEO Somarski explained, “KAIST researchers are scheduled to visit Paris within a few weeks to install and test electronic components developed in Korea on Quandela systems.” The company also plans to contribute to talent development by providing educational courses at the KAIST Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology.
Furthermore, the company explained that it is conducting demonstrations of molecular simulations based on quantum computing for new drug development in collaboration with the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology and is currently publishing the research results. It is also considering participation in related projects, such as the government-led Quantum Manufacturing Challenge.