MegazoneCloud, Quantum Computing Collaboration with PharmCAD for Efficient New Drug Development

• Pharmaceutical and biotech companies can optimize new drug development processes without building their own quantum computing infrastructure

Megazone Cloud (CEO Yim Dong-hoon), a leading AI and cloud company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PharmCADD, an AI-based new drug development platform company, to innovate the new drug development process using quantum AI technology.

Under this agreement, PharmCADD will develop quantum computing algorithms and applications for new drug development, and Megazone Cloud will build quantum and high-performance computing (HPC) environments through Amazon Braket, an AWS cloud-based quantum computing service, to support PharmCADD's algorithms and applications to operate in an optimized state in the cloud environment.

Through Amazon Braket, PharmCADD will have access to various quantum computing hardware and emulators such as IonQ, IQM, and Rigetti.

Additionally, Megazone Cloud plans to support distribution and business expansion strategies so that the developed applications can be utilized by pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide. By utilizing this application, pharmaceutical and biotech companies are expected to optimize new drug development processes and increase research efficiency without building separate quantum computing infrastructure.

Kim Dong-ho, Vice President of Megazone Cloud's Quantum Computing Division (CQO·Chief Quantum Officer), said, "Quantum computing will be an innovative tool that can overcome problems that are difficult to solve with existing technologies in the analysis and selection process of new drug candidate substances," and added, "Through this collaboration, Megazone Cloud will support the derivation of practical results in the new drug development field."

Woo Sang-wook, CEO of PharmCADD, said, "Through collaboration with Megazone Cloud, we expect more precise and efficient drug design to be possible by incorporating quantum computing-based AI technology into the new drug development process," and added, "Taking this collaboration as an opportunity, we will derive new research results and strengthen competitiveness in the global pharmaceutical and biotech market."

Megazone Cloud and its affiliated companies, based on approximately 2,800 cloud experts, became the first unicorn company in Korea's cloud MSP industry and achieved sales of 1.5106 trillion won in 2023. In addition to Korea, the company operates local subsidiaries in 8 overseas countries including the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, Shanghai and Beijing in China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
 

<Terminology Explanation>

IonQ : A quantum computer using ions in their natural state, where all qubits are directly connected to each other, making it particularly suitable for simulating complex molecular structures, with the advantage of maintaining information for a long time.

IQM : A 20-qubit quantum computer utilizing superconductors, which minimizes interference between qubits through special connection technology to provide more accurate calculation results and can be optimized for various application fields.

Rigetti : Provides an 82-qubit Ankaa-3 system, a superconductor-based quantum processor, enabling efficient algorithm mapping through square lattice configuration, and boasts shortened gate operation time and improved fidelity.