Korea Struggles to Keep Pace in the Quantum Computing Race
As the United States and China rapidly advance in quantum computing, South Korea is grappling with significant challenges in talent acquisition and investment. Microsoft’s recent unveiling of its Majorana 1 quantum computing chip has intensified the global conversation, raising questions about Korea’s preparedness in this critical technological domain.
What is Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to process and store data in a fundamentally different way than classical computers. Instead of bits representing either 0 or 1, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits. Qubits can exist in a superposition, meaning they can represent 0, 1, or a combination of both simultaneously. This capacity allows quantum computers to perform complex calculations much faster than conventional machines, opening doors to breakthroughs in fields like drug discovery, artificial intelligence, and chemistry.
However, the implementation of quantum computing presents substantial hurdles due to the sensitivity of qubits. External environmental factors can easily disrupt qubits, leading to errors and instability.
Microsoft’s Majorana 1: A Potential Breakthrough
Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip utilizes topological qubits, a distinct approach designed to address qubit stability. This method, which employs Majorana particles—which are their own antiparticles—aims to create more stable and scalable qubits. The current Majorana 1 chip houses eight qubits, and Microsoft projects the potential to reach one million qubits. This milestone is seen as crucial for tackling real-world problems.
However, the technology is still in its nascent stages, and experts remain cautious. Microsoft’s claims require further validation and testing, and some are skeptical of the company’s ability to execute consistently at scale.
“In their roadmap, Microsoft described a protocol for demonstrating a topologically protected qubit. There is no publicly available evidence that this test has been conducted successfully,” said John Preskill, a leading expert in quantum computing and a physics professor at the California Institute of Technology, in a post on X.
Korea’s Lagging Position
While global tech giants like Google (with Willow) and Amazon (with Ocelot) are also pushing boundaries in quantum computing, South Korea lags significantly behind the US and China in technology, investment, and talent. Comparative data highlights a substantial disparity in quantum computing experts per nation.
According to the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, the US has 3,526 quantum computing experts and China has 3,282. South Korea, by contrast, has only 264, about a twelfth of the two leading nations.
“The major issue is that Korea lacks a deep pool of quantum specialists compared to the US and China,” said an industry insider. “In these countries, they have trained quantum engineers for years, at both the government and private levels, but Korea lacks both. And to make it worse, an increasing number of young experts are leaving Korea for job opportunities abroad.”
A report by the Ministry of Science and ICT ranked Korea last among 12 major countries in all quantum technology sectors.
In 2023, the South Korean government announced plans to invest over 3 trillion won ($2.09 billion) by 2035 and increase the number of quantum researchers to 2,500. This year, an additional 198.1 billion won has been announced.
