AI and cloud-native company MegazoneCloud jointly built the Korea Quantum Nexus Center (KQNC) with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) at the Megazone Building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, and officially opened it on Wednesday.

KQNC was opened as part of a project, under way jointly by MegazoneCloud and KISTI since June last year, to build a quantum computing service and utilisation framework. It plans to pursue development of industry-specific quantum algorithms and identification of industrial application cases, support proof-of-concept validation for companies, provide technical support focused on quantum computing use, deliver quantum computing education and talent development, and operate an industry-academia-research cooperation network.

The project is a national R&D programme promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT. KISTI is the lead agency and MegazoneCloud is participating as a joint research institution.

KQNC is an operational support infrastructure aimed at expanding the research-focused flow of quantum computing technology into industrial use. Its goal is to support companies and research institutes so they can apply the technology in practice, beyond a purely research-focused approach.

MegazoneCloud plans to provide end-to-end support through KQNC, including education, technical support and proof-of-concept validation, to back the practical adoption of quantum computing. It also plans to strengthen user accessibility and reinforce cooperation between industry and research institutes by linking with KISTI's quantum computing infrastructure.

MegazoneCloud also held the KQNC Quantum Insight Forum on the day of the centre's opening, inviting key figures from industry, academia and research. Attendees included MegazoneCloud Chairman Ju-wan Lee (이주완), KISTI President Sik Lee (이식) and Seohee Gu (구서희), a senior administrative officer at the Ministry of Science and ICT's Quantum Innovation Technology Development Division, along with 25 key industry-academia-research participants.

Ju-wan Lee (이주완), chairman of MegazoneCloud, said the Korea Quantum Nexus Center is a strategic operational hub to connect quantum computing technology to solving real industrial-site challenges. He said the centre will go beyond validating individual technologies to identify industry-by-industry application scenarios and build a cooperation base where companies and research institutes create use cases together.

Sik Lee (이식), president of KISTI, said he hopes the opening will become a starting point for building a utilisation framework that connects quantum technology and industry and promotes wider application and demonstration. He said KISTI, as the lead agency, will build next-generation infrastructure combining quantum computing and high-performance computing, and contribute to producing national R&D outcomes and securing global technological and industrial leadership by identifying a range of use cases through joint research with MegazoneCloud.