Koo Kwang-mo's Pick 'Quantum Computing'... LG Electronics Collaborates with IBM on Development

LG Electronics Joins Global Consortium 'IBM Quantum Network'
Focusing on Developing Quantum Computing Applications to Enhance 'Customer Experience'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyeyoung] LG Electronics is accelerating the development of quantum computing technology by partnering with IBM. The strategy is to actively expand the quantum computing-related business area, which LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo has identified as a future growth engine, by strengthening collaboration and joint research with global companies and startups.

On the 10th, LG Electronics announced that it has joined the 'IBM Quantum Network,' a collaborative body formed by IBM with over 170 member companies including enterprises, research institutes, and academic institutions to advance quantum computing. The IBM Quantum Network, launched in 2017 under IBM's leadership, promotes technology application research and commercialization cooperation among its members. In South Korea, LG Electronics, newly included this time, along with Samsung Electronics and major universities, are members.

By participating in the IBM Quantum Network, LG Electronics plans to accelerate the development of quantum computing capable of processing large amounts of data for future readiness in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), connected cars, big data, digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics.

In particular, LG Electronics plans to focus on developing quantum computing applications using IBM's quantum computing systems through collaboration with IBM. To this end, LG Electronics will receive education on quantum computing technology from IBM and participate in conferences and forums hosted by IBM to strengthen its quantum computing capabilities.

Member companies participating in the IBM Quantum Network can use IBM's quantum computing systems provided through the cloud, as well as quantum software development tools such as Qiskit (Quantum Information Science Toolkit).

Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and Vice President of Quantum Computing, said, "We will collaborate with LG Electronics to research new fields related to future core technologies such as connected cars and artificial intelligence using quantum computing."

The quantum field is a technology attracting attention from major countries worldwide. The United States, China, Japan, and others have selected quantum technology as a national future strategic technology and have entered a race for technological hegemony. The Korean government also designated quantum as one of the 'Top 10 National Essential Strategic Technologies' in December last year and has begun preparing specific policies to strengthen capabilities.

Since Chairman Koo's inauguration, LG has been focusing on next-generation computing using quantum mechanics. LG has been continuously considering investments, including participating in fundraising for the quantum computing company Q-City through LG Technology Ventures, established in Silicon Valley, USA, in 2018.

Aligned with Chairman Koo's vision, LG Electronics has selected next-generation computing using quantum mechanics as a candidate for new businesses alongside digital healthcare and cybersecurity, expanding its efforts. In October last year, quantum computing was included as a discussion topic in the 'Innovation Council,' created to respond to rapidly changing technology trends, with ongoing discussions involving major affiliates such as LG Electronics, LG Chem, LG Display, and LG Innotek. Earlier, in April last year, LG signed a research agreement with Dutch quantum computing developer Q&Co to develop quantum computing technology for multi-physics simulation.

As Chairman Koo has emphasized customer experience (CX) as a management focus, LG is expected to concentrate on deriving strategies to enhance customer experience using quantum computing across all business areas. Kim Byung-hoon, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of LG Electronics, emphasized, "Based on an open innovation strategy, we will utilize quantum computing technology in future businesses to provide customers with unprecedented value."

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