POSTECH Partners with Harvard and MIT to Establish Quantum Technology Hub

Launch of 22.3 Billion Won 'Quantum Global Partnership Leading Center'

Pioneering Large-Scale Quantum Entanglement

Full-Scale International Collaborative Research Begins

Korean researchers are joining forces with leading global institutions such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore to develop next-generation quantum technologies. An international joint research hub dedicated to securing ‘quantum entanglement’ technology, a core element of quantum computing and quantum communication, has been established in Pohang.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on June 9 that an opening ceremony was held for the ‘POSTECH Quantum Global Partnership Leading Center’ at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH).

Postech campus view. The Asia Business Daily DB

The center aims to develop ‘large-scale quantum entanglement generation and control technology by linking heterogeneous quantum platforms’ through cooperation among leading domestic and international quantum research institutions. The project is scheduled to run from July this year through 2029, with a total investment of 22.3 billion won.

Quantum entanglement is a critical factor that determines the performance of quantum information technologies such as quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing. Recently, the focus has shifted beyond simply increasing the number of qubits to the ability to stably connect and control different quantum platforms, which is emerging as the next source of competitive edge.

Currently, quantum technologies are advancing across a range of platforms including photons, superconductors, atoms and ions, quantum dots, and solid-state quantum systems. Each platform has clear strengths and weaknesses, making the development of technologies that combine these platforms a key challenge in global research competition.

International Joint Research with Harvard, MIT, and Singapore

The center will operate as an international joint research platform, with POSTECH at its core, in collaboration with domestic institutions such as the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), as well as overseas research organizations including Harvard University, MIT, and CQT.

Through this initiative, the plan is to combine Korea’s strengths in semiconductor and optical communication technologies with the quantum research expertise of leading overseas institutions, aiming to secure core fundamental technologies for next-generation quantum technology.

The research team will pursue studies that link various platforms, such as superconducting and semiconductor qubits, photonic quantum computers, and ultracold gas quantum simulations. They will also take on the development of key future quantum industry technologies, including quantum error correction, quantum error mitigation, quantum machine learning, and quantum light sources.

In addition to research and development, the center will focus on nurturing talent. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from Korea will be dispatched to leading overseas research institutions, and joint research projects, international workshops, and researcher exchange programs are planned.

The Ministry of Science and ICT expects that the launch of this center will serve as a strategic hub, combining the research capabilities of Korean universities with a global research network to enhance Korea’s competitiveness in quantum technology.

Yoon Kyung-sook, Director General of the Basic Science and Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “We will continue to support cooperation between excellent research capabilities at domestic universities and leading overseas institutions, and further advance the ecosystem for international joint research, personnel exchange, technology commercialization, and industry-academia-research collaboration.”

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