"Leap to a Top 4 Quantum Technology Power by 2030"

Government to Finalize Investment Strategy at Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting on the 30th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government has set a plan to actively engage in the development of quantum technology, which is expected to become the center of global technological supremacy within the next 10 years, aiming to emerge as one of the top four global powers by 2030.

On the morning of the 30th, the government held the 17th Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology Relations and finalized the "Quantum Technology Research and Development Investment Strategy." Quantum refers to the smallest unit particle of energy, which can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously (superposition) and has the property that a change in one particle affects another particle with which it has a special relationship, regardless of the distance between them (entanglement).

◇ What is Quantum Technology?

Utilizing these properties in computing, communication, sensors, and more is expected to bring about innovations that could be game changers for future industries and security. For example, while current supercomputers would take over a million years to decrypt a 2048-bit RSA public key, a top-level quantum computer can accomplish this in just one second. Additionally, quantum cryptography technology, which can fundamentally block information theft during communication, can be applied to drones, aircraft, satellites, etc., enabling perfectly secure communication over thousands of kilometers. The development of quantum sensors, which enable ultra-precise measurements, can be applied to early detection of micro-cancers and brain diseases, GPS-free navigation, earthquake and volcano prediction, and ultra-long-range imaging sensor development.

◇ South Korea Lags Behind in ICT Technology

Advanced countries such as the United States and China are also rushing to develop quantum technology. The U.S. designated quantum technology as a security strategic technology in December 2018 and enacted the Quantum Act, pledging to invest 1.4 trillion KRW. In 2012, it announced a quantum internet strategic vision. China is rapidly catching up with the U.S. under the banner of "Quantum Rise." It established the National Quantum Science Research Institute in 2017 and has invested 17 trillion KRW by 2022. In 2016, China launched the quantum communication satellite (Micius) and succeeded in quantum transmission over 7,600 km between Beijing and Vienna. China is also pursuing the U.S. in quantum computing and quantum sensor fields. Japan has designated quantum technology as one of its three strategic technologies alongside artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology, focusing on intensive development.

However, South Korea's technology level and research and development (R&D) investment scale are insufficient. The technology level is only about 81.3% compared to advanced countries, ranking the lowest among all ICT technologies. Although the government is significantly increasing investment in the quantum technology sector, it remains inadequate. Investment increased about threefold from 10.6 billion KRW in 2019 to 32.6 billion KRW this year.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

◇ Goal to Enter Top Four Powers by the 2030s

Through this strategy, the government plans to strengthen fundamental research in quantum technology, build infrastructure, secure human resources, and promote the development of related industries. First, it will focus investment on four core technologies necessary for the commercialization of quantum computers: quantum processors, algorithms, error correction, and application software. It plans to build a 50-qubit-class Korean quantum computing system early from next year through 2024 and gradually advance it to expand to 100 qubits by 2030. The wired quantum cryptography communication technology, which is evaluated to have competitiveness close to leading countries, will secure technological superiority through advancement and international standard preemption. For wireless cryptographic communication, it will support technology development such as quantum communication drones and quantum communication aircraft to complement the limitations of wired communication and expand coverage.

Quantum sensors will also promote commercialization through demand-linked R&D and secure a virtuous cycle between research and industry. The goal is to develop products with performance 100 times better for magnetic sensors, 10 times better for inertial sensors (acceleration measurement), and 10 times better for imaging sensors compared to existing optical microscopes.

◇ Cultivating Core Talent and Building an Ecosystem

To this end, the government plans to secure 1,000 core quantum technology personnel by 2030. It will open doctoral-level specialized courses integrating theory, practice, and projects, dispatch master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral researchers to leading countries to acquire advanced technologies, and invite overseas scholars. Additionally, it will establish a quantum-dedicated fab (foundry) capable of supporting research and verification of algorithms to facilitate joint use by academia, industry, and research institutes.

The government is currently building a quantum virtual machine simulating quantum computers with a budget of 23.5 billion KRW from last year through 2024, led by the Korea Advanced Nano Fab Center (KANC) and Sungkyunkwan University. It operates a public-private partnership (PPP) involving academia, industry, and research institutes, and to promote the utilization of quantum technology and industrial innovation, it is conducting the Q-Flagship Project (industrial innovation and public problem-solving using quantum technology) to support the creation of economically and socially useful success cases. The government will strategically support participation in international standardization groups, considering industrialization from the research stage.

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "In the era of global technological competition, to secure technological capabilities in the quantum technology field, we will leverage our strengths in ICT infrastructure and semiconductor capabilities and respond with full cooperation between the public and private sectors."

Meanwhile, at the meeting, the government decided to build genomic big data of native plant resources with high value for the bioindustry to utilize in industry and research. Currently, South Korea possesses 8,073 species of plant resources, but the amount of life information big data secured so far is less than 1% of this. The government plans to expand the number of species held domestically, including traditional and rare species, from 8,073 to over 9,700 by 2030. In particular, it plans to massively build genomic big data of native plants with high economic and ecological value, approximately 11.3 petabytes (PB) in size (1 PB is one million times 1 GB, equivalent to genomic information for 156 million people). The strategy also includes providing customized genomic information, training specialized personnel for big data utilization in the plant field, and supporting research and industrial sites.

The government also finalized a comprehensive plan to recreate the Daedeok Research Complex Special Zone, which marks its 50th anniversary in 2023, as a "convergence research hub," "future new industry base," technology startup forward base, and science culture city. Furthermore, it decided to unify the government-wide promotion system for innovative and challenge-type R&D projects to apply flexible research systems and provide stable budget support. The progress and future plans for the relay of excellent R&D achievements across ministries were also confirmed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.