Kim Dong-ho, Megazone Vice President, "Quantum Computing to be Commercialized in 2 Years"

「Quantum computing will become a necessity, not an option. 2027 Preparation is needed for commercialization that will occur around the year.」

Dong-ho Kim, Vice President of Quantum Computing Business at Megazone Cloud, spoke about the coming post-quantum era and revealed that 「quantum computing is ultimately a matter of time」.

Vice President Kim recognized the potential of quantum computing technology early on and has focused on research and business. At LG Electronics CTO division, he formed a 「Quantum Artificial Intelligence」(AI) team, and at POSCO Holdings, he led quantum computing research. Currently, he oversees quantum computing business at Megazone Cloud and serves as the nation's first quantum executive, CQO (Chief Quantum Officer).

Quantum computing departs from the method of processing data with 0 and 1 like existing computers and enables parallel computation using quantum bits called Qubits. It boasts overwhelming performance capable of performing calculations that would take supercomputers decades in just minutes.

Vice President Kim said, 「Quantum computing will bring tremendous changes across industries」 and 「It is expected to be widely used in fields requiring complex calculations」. He mentioned the potential applications of quantum computing in various fields including logistics and production process optimization, drug development, materials science, and finance.

On the other hand, he pointed out that quantum computing advancement could pose security threats. He said, 「It is established that quantum computers with advanced computational capabilities can neutralize existing encryption systems such as RSA」 and warned that 「after 2035, it could become a practical threat」.

In particular, he emphasized, 「There is a risk of attacks that collect data now and decrypt later (Harvest Now, Decrypt Later)」 and stressed the necessity of developing and implementing post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

Vice President Kim emphasized, 「Three conditions must be met for quantum computing commercialization」. He explained, 「Computational capabilities overwhelmingly faster than existing computers and hardware technology must reach a level of practical implementation, and finally, practical use cases that can create business value must emerge」.

Some experts predict that quantum computing commercialization will be possible only 20-30 years later. However, Vice President Kim assessed that the pace of quantum computing development is faster than expected and said, 「Leading companies like IBM and Google are targeting the implementation of more than 100 logical qubits」.

He said, 「IBM announced plans to implement 1121 qubits this year, and Google has set a goal to develop practical quantum computers capable of error correction by 2029」 and emphasized, 「Major companies are presenting concrete roadmaps and accelerating technology development, so I believe commercialization by 2027 is entirely possible」.

Vice President Kim emphasized that 「active cooperation between government and industry is necessary」 to prepare for the post-quantum era. He said, 「The government should support quantum technology research and development, and companies should cooperate with startups to increase commercialization possibilities」 and raised his voice, 「In particular, attracting overseas talent and fostering middle management will be key tasks」.

Vice President Kim concluded the interview by emphasizing, 「For Korea to lead in global quantum technology competition, the government, industry, and academia must cooperate to focus on technology development and talent cultivation」.

Article Source: Security News