Improving access to quantum computing will catalyze the growth of a quantum ecosystem. It will give opportunities to students to learn quantum programming through a hands-on experience, and allow more researchers to conduct cutting-edge research. That’s why we’re excited to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of the Yonsei Institute of Quantum Information Technology (IQIT), and the launch of the Institute’s cloud access to IBM’s quantum systems.
IQIT gives Yonsei students, researchers, and the university’s industry collaborators access to IBM’s full fleet of more than 20 cloud-based quantum systems, ranging from 5 qubits, up to an IBM Quantum Eagle processor’s 127 qubits. And soon, the Institute will break ground on its own IBM Quantum System One — the world’s third private, on-site deployment — powered by an IBM Eagle processor. It’s set to be in operation by 2024.
Industry research to benefit Korean society
An on-site quantum computing system has several benefits for Yonsei. It will give the university greater flexibility and control over its quantum computing resources, allowing for more efficient use of the System One.
Yonsei researchers hope that quantum machine learning will lead to a smarter city by efficiently optimizing the complex data involved in everyday life.
Yonsei researchers hope that quantum machine learning will lead to a smarter city by efficiently optimizing the complex data involved in everyday life. With an on-site quantum computer, Yonsei users will be able to more-efficiently study quantum machine learning algorithms.
IQIT is interested in a range of research areas related to quantum information technology, including materials science, finance, cryptography, and practical quantum algorithms. And since IBM Quantum System One will be deployed on the Yonsei global campus in Songdo near the Yonsei Bio Complex, we are seeing special interest in applications to healthcare and life science.
Educating Korea’s next generation of quantum scientists
Through IQIT, Yonsei aims to provide students with hands-on experience in quantum programming and to train the next generation of quantum scientists and engineers. The Institute hopes to develop a strong quantum education program that spans from undergraduate to graduate levels, and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among students and faculty from different departments and schools within Yonsei.
Yonsei researchers will aim to advance the frontiers of quantum computing by conducting cutting-edge research in software development, algorithm development, application integration, and more. IQIT’s goal is to be a leader in the Korean quantum ecosystem and to work with other institutions to accelerate the development of quantum technologies and applications.
Collaborate with Yonsei to build Korea’s quantum future
Countries around the world are investing in quantum computing because of its potential to solve problems beyond the capability of existing classical computers — problems in the fields from city service optimization, to drug development, materials science, artificial intelligence, and beyond. There’s still plenty to contribute to this nascent field across hardware development, software development, application integration, and more.
But making those contributions require that universities, businesses, governments, and other research institutions have access to quantum hardware, software, and educational resources in order to be successful. It also requires a community working together across different domains and disciplines to advance the science of quantum computing.
The IQIT’s mission is to enrich human life through quantum information research, with the goal of preparing for the future information society through quantum information technology education and quantum ecosystem creation.
Other organizations can work with Yonsei by collaborating with their researchers on quantum research projects. IQIT is open to partnering with other universities, research institutions, and industries to foster the Korean quantum expertise and accelerate scientific discovery.
External organizations that currently partner with IQIT will be able to utilize the Institute’s over-the-cloud access to IBM’s full fleet of quantum systems — and then access Yonsei’s IBM Quantum System One in 2024.
We believe IQIT will serve as an important quantum community focal point, working with other quantum computing leaders in the country and collaborating with IBM.
As members of the Institute’s steering committee, we are excited that the members of Yonsei University community will have access to a dedicated quantum computing system on campus. We are eager to see how they will scale up their partnership and research collaborations with other universities, research institutions and industries to foster Korean quantum expertise.
We are also excited about what Korean researchers and developers will be able to create with quantum computing, and are looking forward to the groundbreaking of the IQIT’s IBM Quantum System One in the coming months.
