South Korea Unveils 50-Qubit Quantum Computer, Targets 100 Qubits by 2029

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) publicly unveiled for the first time a model of its 50-qubit superconducting quantum computer under development at the Quantum & Security Special Pavilion of AI Festa 2026, held at COEX in Seoul. The golden-hued model serves as a symbol of the current position on the quantum computing roadmap being pursued by South Korean researchers, drawing significant attention from visitors.

KRISS plans to scale up its superconducting quantum computing to 100 qubits with error correction by 2029. Superconducting qubits are implemented by leveraging the superconducting state—where thermal fluctuations are nearly eliminated—at cryogenic temperatures approaching minus 273 degrees Celsius, and are considered the technology closest to commercialization.

This approach can leverage existing semiconductor infrastructure, offering advantages in scalability of qubit count and fast computation speeds. Most big tech companies, including Google and IBM, have adopted it, and South Korea's first quantum computing system was also designed based on superconducting technology.

In 2024, the institute collaborated with domestic research organizations to develop a 20-qubit superconducting quantum computing system and successfully conducted its first demonstration. In March 2025, it unveiled a cloud system allowing users to remotely access quantum computing via a web server, laying the groundwork for commercialization.