World's Highest Performance IBM Quantum Computer to Be Installed in Busan by 2028

The world's highest-performance latest quantum computer developed by IBM in the United States will be installed in Korea by 2028.

IBM Quantum System Two Quantum Computer

IBM announced on the 30th that it will install the 'Quantum System 2'(IBM Quantum System 2), a modular quantum computer, in Busan by 2028 in collaboration with Korea Quantum Computing (hereinafter KQC). KQC will operate the quantum computer directly, moving away from the existing cloud-based IBM quantum computer service.

According to IBM, aside from the one installed at the IBM Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, there is no other Quantum System 2 quantum computer installed yet. As of the announcement, Busan is the world's first external installation case.

The Quantum System 2 is the latest high-performance quantum computer announced in December last year. It is composed by connecting three 'Heron' 133-qubit quantum computing chips developed by IBM over four years.

Kwon Ji-hoon, chairman of KQC, stated, "The powerful hardware computing resources and core software in the quantum and AI fields that we will build are expected not only to meet the growing demand for high-performance computing but also to promote industrial utilization and ecosystem development." KQC is currently collaborating on quantum computer-related projects in the financial, bio-healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors with Dankook University Hospital, Hanlim Pharmaceutical, and DNeuro.

KQC plans to install the Quantum System 2 quantum computer in the Global Quantum Complex to be built in Haeundae-gu, Busan. KQC expects that once a physical quantum computer is introduced domestically, security and stability issues will be resolved, enabling more companies, government agencies, and national research institutes to use quantum computers.

This collaboration includes investment in infrastructure to support the development and deployment of generative AI. The plan to establish AI-optimized infrastructure includes advanced GPUs and IBM's Artificial Intelligence Unit (AIU) semiconductor. IBM explains that the combination of GPU systems and AIU is state-of-the-art hardware that can enhance AI research and business opportunities.