IonQ, an American hardware and software company and SDT, a South Korean quantum technology company have agreed to expand their partnership to include quantum hardware deployment, manufacturing and system integration. The agreement expands their existing work on cloud-based software integration into physical hardware production and assembly.
According to a press release, IonQ will provide SDT with a Superion 256 quantum computer and a silicon-vacancy (SiV) quantum memory module under the multi-year agreement. The system is planned for deployment with an SDT customer in South Korea, where the companies intend to work on a hybrid quantum-classical data center.
SDT also plans to establish a quantum manufacturing and system-integration facility in Gumi, South Korea. The facility is expected to handle packaging and manufacturing of IonQ’s SiV quantum memory technology, as well as quantum system assembly, integration and commissioning.
“Demand for our new Superion 256 system is growing globally, and this agreement in Asia Pacific is yet another example of our clients combining IonQ’s leading quantum computers with our quantum networking and quantum memory solutions,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO, IonQ. “IonQ is very proud to be expanding our commercial footprint in South Korea as well as continuing to trailblaze quantum cancer and biomedical research. This purchase equips SDT with the building blocks for both high-performance quantum computing and quantum data centers of the future.”
“Our objective is to make our new Gumi facility a key operational hub for IonQ’s global supply chain and regional deployment by hosting manufacturing operations and assembling world-class quantum systems”, said Jiwon Yune, CEO, SDT. “Alongside this manufacturing partnership, SDT will participate in the assembly and operation of IonQ quantum systems and actively pursue opportunities to manufacture more quantum components. Together, these initiatives put SDT’s quantum design and manufacturing strategy into practice through assembly, operations and system integration, while opening opportunities in manufacturing and regional commercialization.”
The companies also plan to work on a separate project involving a cancer center in South Korea, focused on hybrid quantum-classical infrastructure for medical and biomedical research.
The agreement adds to IonQ’s existing work in South Korea, including collaborations with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), SK Telecom, Hyundai Motor Company, Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University.