Chulalongkorn University Signs MOU with Qunova Computing for Cooperation on Quantum Technology & Research

BANGKOK--(Korea Newswire)--Chulalongkorn University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Qunova Computing, establishing a three-year collaboration on quantum computing research and applications. The agreement sets out three forms of cooperation which are jointly organised seminars and academic conferences; the exchange of scientists, researchers and staff; and joint research projects in quantum computing and related fields. Siam Quantum Square (SQ²) will act as the principal coordinator on behalf of the University.

The signing ceremony followed a technical workshop held that morning at which researchers from Qunova Computing and from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) presented their work to Chulalongkorn students and faculty. Professor Dr. Eunseong Kim, Dean of the School of Quantum Science and Technology at KAIST, also discussed opportunities to study in the Republic of Korea. Researchers from Qunova presented the company's hybrid quantum-classical algorithms for chemistry and fluid dynamics, along with applications in drug discovery and bond market portfolio optimisation. The workshop concluded with focus group sessions in three fields: medicine, the physical sciences and finance, areas in which Chulalongkorn researchers set out problems drawn from their own disciplines.

“Thailand should not merely be a user of technology that others have built. We should understand it, take part in developing it, and help shape the direction it takes,” said Professor Dr. Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University. “That is a demanding goal for a country of our size, and we can reach it only by working with the best partners we can find. What makes a collaboration like this real is people. A student who spends a year in Korea, a researcher who travels to Bangkok, or a problem from a Thai hospital that becomes a shared research question.”

“What impressed us this morning was that the questions came from the Thai side,” said Dr. Jaewan Kim, Chief Product Officer of Qunova Computing. “Researchers in medicine, in the physical sciences and in finance each described problems they are already facing. That is where useful quantum work begins, and it is why we wanted this collaboration.”

Thailand has adopted a cloud-first approach to quantum computing: researchers are given access to quantum hardware through cloud platforms rather than the country building quantum machines of its own. Siam Quantum Square serves as the academic hub of that strategy and works with a range of partners, among them IBM Thailand, the Quantum Technology Foundation (Thailand), Western Digital, Siam Commercial Bank, and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

The signing was followed by a panel discussion on the theme “Thailand-Korea Collaborations on Quantum Technology: from Academia to Use Cases.” The discussion was moderated by Assistant Professor Dr. Salinporn Kittiwatanakul of Siam Quantum Square, Chulalongkorn University. The panellists were:

· Professor Dr. Eunseong Kim, Dean of the School of Quantum Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
· Dr. Jaewan Kim, Chief Product Officer, Qunova Computing Inc.
· Dr. Kamonluk Suksen, Siam Quantum Square (SQ²), Chulalongkorn University
· Dr. Tutanon Sinthuprasith, Head of Research and Development, SCBX Public Company Limited
· Professor Dr. Rungsima Wanitphakdeedecha, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University

Website: https://www.qunovacomputing.com/

This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.