[2025 Future Business Forum] "Quantum Computing Soon to Become Everyday Technology... Need to Collaborate with Global Ecosystem"

Junkoo Lee, CEO of Qunova, Delivers Keynote Speech
Market Size Reaches 20 Trillion Won, Early Commercialization Underway
Cloud Enables Universal Access to Experiments
Practical Applications Across Education, Research, and More

"Quantum computing is not the exclusive domain of large corporations. As long as you have the technology, you gain competitiveness."

Junkoo Lee, CEO of Qunova, is delivering the keynote speech at the "2025 Asia Future Business Forum" hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Junkoo Lee, CEO of Qunova, made these remarks at the "2025 Asia Future Business Forum" held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul on the 11th, where he explained real-world applications and industrial potential of quantum computing.

Lee emphasized, "Quantum computing is not a technology of the distant future, but one that will soon become part of everyday life," and added, "We must learn, experiment, and collaborate with the global quantum ecosystem before it is too late."

He explained that quantum computing is at the stage just before initial commercialization, and that the current market size exceeds 20 trillion won. Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company projects that this market will grow at an average annual rate of over 17%, reaching approximately 100 trillion won by 2035.

He further noted, "IBM, Google, Microsoft (MS), and Amazon are investing billions of won in quantum computer development, and an environment where anyone can experiment via the cloud has been established."

Quantum computing uses a unit called a "qubit," which, unlike traditional computers, is based on the quantum mechanical principles of superposition and entanglement that allow it to represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously. Thanks to this, it can process complex problems quickly and precisely with less energy.

The range of applications is also broad. It is being applied to drug discovery through molecular structure calculations, prediction of new material properties, financial risk assessment, portfolio optimization, cryptography and security system development, and even the training of language models like GPT.

Lee said, "Volkswagen in Germany conducted urban traffic flow optimization experiments with D-Wave, and JP Morgan in the United States utilized quantum computing with IBM for financial market risk analysis," adding, "Practical use has begun in various fields such as education, research, and startups."

Chinese innovation company SpinQ is distributing educational quantum machines to universities in Asia and Europe. He stated, "Through free lectures and quantum computing software platforms provided by IBM, Google, and others, it is possible to learn and experiment on the cloud," and added, "Furthermore, by participating in international conferences and working groups, it is possible to recruit PhD-level talent and build networks."

Meanwhile, Qunova, led by Lee, is a Korean quantum software startup that has demonstrated its technological capabilities by registering its own algorithms on Qiskit, IBM's quantum computer platform. The company is developing several algorithms, including the hybrid quantum algorithm "HI-VQE" specializing in chemical calculations for drug discovery, as well as "QuMO" and "Franen." Qunova holds numerous patents both domestically and internationally.