Quandela CEO: "Korea Is Our Asian Hub... We Will Create Use Cases with Businesses and Government"

Nicolo Somaski Quendela, CEO, is giving an interview to The Asia Business Daily on the 1st. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

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Niccolo Somaschi, founder and CEO of the French quantum computing company Quandela, who visited Korea to coincide with the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, described this trip as "a visit to commemorate 140 years of friendship between Korea and France." President Macron, during this visit, announced plans to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, decarbonization, and nuclear power with Korea, and brought related companies as part of his technology delegation-with Quandela being the core company in the quantum sector.

CEO Somaschi expressed a strong commitment to elevating the level of collaboration in quantum technology with Korea, saying, "While we are already cooperating with academia and government, this time, we want to connect with businesses and end users as well."

On April 1, at WeWork Tower in Gangnam, Seoul, CEO Somaschi met with The Asia Business Daily. When asked to describe his company in one sentence, he replied, "fast and efficient." He added, "We have raised about 70 million dollars, are already delivering products to customers, have established manufacturing infrastructure, and have offices in Korea, Canada, the United States, and Germany."

Regarding technology, he repeatedly emphasized efficiency. He explained, "Our photonic quantum technology can replace a large number of components with a single integrated semiconductor unit." He added that this efficiency has significance in several respects.

On photon-based quantum computing, he said, "With light, we can connect different processors. To achieve large-scale qubits, interconnection is essential, and for us, connectivity is the starting assumption." He stressed that this is a major difference compared to approaches like superconductors and ion traps.

Regarding application fields for Quandela's quantum computers, CEO Somaschi first mentioned cybersecurity and energy. He said, "We are already creating new use cases in the field of cybersecurity." He further explained, "In the energy sector, even a 1% improvement in accuracy when optimizing supply and demand can generate benefits worth millions of dollars."

He also discussed the combination of AI and quantum technology. CEO Somaschi said, "There are only a few thousand quantum experts, but there are millions of AI researchers. That is why we are preparing a platform that AI developers can use." He added, "We provide not only hardware, but also software, algorithms, and applications."

On the roles of AI and quantum technology, he explained, "AI is used to accelerate error correction and signal analysis, while quantum technology increases precision in environments with limited data or high noise." He added, "These characteristics can be applied in areas such as cybersecurity."

Quandela is currently in the process of raising additional funding for further investment. CEO Somaschi said, "There will be new funding within a few months, and these funds will be used for technology development and to expand our workforce." He also stated, "We plan to expand our teams in France, Germany, and the United States."

He also highlighted the importance of Korea. Last year, Quandela signed an MOU with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to support the establishment of a quantum technology development center. CEO Somaschi said, "Korea is Quandela's hub in Asia." He showed great interest in nurturing quantum talent in Korea. In this regard, he explained, "We plan to work with KAIST, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, government agencies, and companies to build quantum computers, distribute software, and develop use cases. Education and training will also be conducted together." The Korean entity, led by CEO Kim Yuseok, has already been established.

He also emphasized that Korea's existing technology is closely related to Quandela's quantum computers. He said, "Semiconductor technology that processes information with light instead of electricity (chip photonics), semiconductors, and electronics are all important elements. Korea can participate in quantum computing based on its existing technologies."

He highlighted Quandela's competitive edge over American rivals. He said, "Our quantum computers are less expensive than competing products from the United States. In addition, researchers and companies can open up our quantum computers and integrate their own technology-other equipment makes it difficult to view or handle the internals."

Having visited Korea several times last year and again in February this year, CEO Somaschi said, "Our team will participate in 'Quantum Korea 2026,' which will be held at Dongdaemun in July." He expressed his anticipation to meet with Korean business leaders he had not yet met, through events such as a luncheon at the Blue House and the Korea-France Economic Forum during this visit.

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