Jae-Wan Kim Appointed as Head of the Hyperconnected Scalable Super Quantum Computing Strategic Research Group Selected as a Global Top Strategy Research Group
Jae-Wan Kim, Director of the Quantum Research Institute at Yonsei University, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at Yonsei University's Songdo Campus. Photo by Yong-Jun Cho
Jae-Wan Kim, Director of the Quantum Information Technology Research Institute at Yonsei University, is leading the development of foundational technologies for quantum computers by coordinating government-funded research institutes, private companies, and academia in South Korea.
According to the scientific community on June 10, physicist Kim, who previously served as Vice President of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, has been virtually appointed as the head of the "Hyperconnected Scalable Super Quantum Computing Strategic Research Group," which is led by the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science.
Both the institute and Director Kim have acknowledged his nomination, explaining that they are currently in the final stages of contract negotiations, including annual salary. The Global Top Strategy Research Group is a project designed to establish an open and collaborative system that transcends barriers between government-funded research institutes, focusing on national missions. It also aims to support these institutes, as national research organizations, in achieving world-class large-scale outcomes in collaboration with industry, academia, and research sectors.
The Hyperconnected Scalable Super Quantum Computing Strategic Research Group was designated as a Global Top Strategy Research Group this year by the Ministry of Science and ICT last month. In addition to the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, which is in charge of overall coordination, the group includes the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI). Private companies such as LG Electronics and academic institutions are also participating.
Currently, the most advanced quantum computers have a performance of up to about 1,000 qubits. The quantum computer installed at Yonsei University has only 127 qubits. However, it is widely accepted that a performance level of around 1 million qubits is necessary to realize a true quantum computer. It is not possible to simply increase the number of qubits, as computational errors in quantum computers also increase as the number of qubits grows.
According to the scientific community, even companies at the forefront of quantum computing, such as IBM and Google, are still in the early stages of research in this field, making it possible for South Korea to catch up.
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