"Standard Yeon Leads Korea's Quantum National R&D"

Director Lee Hoseong "The Only Applicant in the Quantum Field of the Global TOP Strategy Research Group"

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has begun a transformation to lead research and development (R&D) in the quantum field in Korea. It also plans to strengthen measurement research in the physical chemistry field to undertake challenging and innovative projects.

Lee Hoseong, President of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, is speaking at a press conference on the 20th. Photo by Baek Jongmin

On the 20th, Lee Ho-sung, President of KRISS, held a press conference at a restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, stating, "We will organize the team centered on the Global TOP Strategic Research Group to become a hub for the 12 national strategic technologies."

President Lee took office as the head of KRISS in December last year. After his inauguration, he expanded and reorganized the Quantum Technology Research Institute to support the quantum field, which is one of the 12 national strategic technologies.

He explained, "The Quantum Technology Research Institute has been expanded from about 30 to 70 members, and small organizations related to the 12 national strategic technologies have been gathered and placed within the Strategic Technology Research Institute."

Under President Lee's leadership, KRISS participated with a focus on the quantum field in the Global TOP Strategic Research Group project, which promotes leading R&D through convergence research among research institutes following the deregulation of public institutions in the science and technology sector. The strategic research group project, 'Development of Core Technologies for Multi-platform Distributed Quantum Systems,' led by KRISS, included participation from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI). President Lee explained that KRISS is the only institute supporting the quantum field in the strategic research group project. KRISS also challenged to lead the strategic research group in the power semiconductor field in cooperation with other research institutes, but the emphasis is clearly on the quantum side.

He elaborated, "KRISS has long been working on quantum computers, KIST and ETRI focus on quantum networks, KISTI develops algorithms, and the Atomic Energy Research Institute handles material development, sharing roles accordingly."

KRISS is already testing a quantum computer with about 20 qubits under a project from the Ministry of Science and ICT and plans to provide cloud services by the end of the year. By 2026, it aims to build a 50-qubit superconducting quantum computing system. Research in quantum networking and quantum sensing fields will also be strengthened. KRISS has also attracted a specialized center to secure future defense quantum core technologies.

Park Yeon-gyu, Vice President of KRISS, explained, "Although companies like IBM in the U.S. are leading in the quantum field, recent research is expanding to improve performance by clustering distributed quantum computers rather than simply increasing qubits."

Additionally, after President Lee's inauguration, KRISS newly established the Chemical Materials Measurement Division and the Biomedical Measurement Division to strengthen convergence research. The convergence research team expanded the PRIDE system, which exempts personnel evaluations, creating a convergence research environment free from time constraints.

President Lee also mentioned expanding national strategic technology research cooperation based on collaborations in the quantum field with several overseas institutions, including the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), established last year.

He added, "We educate about 20 people annually from Southeast Asian countries through support for measurement standard systems and training in developing countries." He also stated, "To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the institute's founding, we will strengthen national leadership in the measurement field through the AMP General Assembly to be held in Songdo next November."

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