Xanadu and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) partner to develop South Korea's future quantum workforce

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Sep 14, 2023, 08:00 ET

The partnership aims to educate and train future quantum professionals, growing the quantum ecosystem in South Korea

TORONTO and DAEJEON, South Korea, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Xanadu (xanadu.ai), a world leader in photonic quantum computing, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the top science and technology university in Korea, partner to train and educate South Korea's future quantum workforce.

Xanadu is on a mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. PennyLane, Xanadu's open-source software framework for quantum machine learning, quantum chemistry, and quantum computing, will be foundational to this partnership and utilized to create custom educational materials.

Being the first science and technology university in Korea, KAIST has been a driving force for innovation in the country. KAIST's newly launched Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology program will leverage Xanadu's state-of-the-art quantum technology and educational tools to bridge the gap between academia and industry, preparing graduate students to join the quantum workforce.

The government of South Korea has invested heavily in developing its local quantum ecosystem, with a goal to grow the quantum talent pool to over 1,000 quantum professionals by 2030. The KAIST and Xanadu partnership will be instrumental in achieving the government's long-term goals.

Together, both teams will develop a hands-on educational program centered around PennyLane. Through this partnership, KAIST will have access to the latest tools coming out of academic and industrial research and development programs, allowing them to be at the forefront of quantum education in South Korea. Students can expect to gain practical quantum programming skills they can utilize directly upon entering the industry.

"We are looking forward to working with KAIST and integrating PennyLane into their new Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology," said Christian Weedbrook, Xanadu founder and Chief Executive Officer. "The quantum field is expanding rapidly, and we are proud to offer quantum education initiatives to continue to build a quantum-ready workforce globally."

"We are thrilled to have Xanadu as the first official partner of the KAIST Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology," said Professor Eunseong Kim, Chair of the Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology. "We established this program to strengthen South Korea's global technology leadership and help educate the future quantum workforce. Partnering with Xanadu expedites our ability to reach these goals."

About Xanadu

Xanadu is a Canadian quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Founded in 2016, Xanadu has become one of the world's leading quantum hardware and software companies. The company also leads the development of PennyLane, an open-source software library for quantum computing and application development. Visit www.xanadu.ai or follow us on Twitter @XanaduAI.

About Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

KAIST is the first and top science and technology university in Korea. KAIST has been the gateway to advanced science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and our graduates have been key players behind Korea's innovations. KAIST will continue to pursue advances in science and technology as well as the economic development of Korea and beyond.

SOURCE Xanadu