Xanadu teams up with Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Canada’s Xanadu announced a partnership with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), South Korea’s multidisciplinary national research institute, to expand industrial use cases for quantum computers.
The partnership will focus on the further development of quantum algorithms for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, which has been a frequent focus of other quantum computing companies, and optimizing quantum computing hardware.
The announcement comes just about two months after Xanadu closed a $100 million Series C funding round. The Toronto company has partnered with numerous other firms such as Nvidia and Menten AI, on collaborations that leverage the firm’s open source PennyLane software framework. Xanadu also made its Borealis photonics-based QPU available on Amazon Braket last year.
Meanwhile, South Korea is home to one of IBM’s quantum systems, and the South Korean government last year pledged to advance quantum efforts in the country, and potentially surpass the European Union and Japan as a quantum leader. However, local reports also have questioned the government’s low spending on quantum compared to other countries
“We are excited to welcome KIST to our expanding list of top-tier research partners and continue our work in quantum chemistry and beyond,” said Christian Weedbrook, Xanadu founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We are also excited that PennyLane, Xanadu’s open-source software library for quantum computing and application development, will be utilized to expedite the research throughout our collaboration.”
“We have been thoroughly impressed with Xanadu’s success to date — remarkably their most recent demonstration of quantum computational advantage with Borealis — and are excited to join them in this research initiative,” said Seok-Jin Yoon, President of KIST. “This partnership expands our reach and is another big step forward for both countries to advance the field of quantum computing, drive economic growth, create jobs and build on a better quantum future.”
Dan O’Shea has covered telecommunications and related topics including semiconductors, sensors, retail systems, digital payments and quantum computing/technology for over 25 years.
