US IonQ Quantum Computer 'Tempo' to be installed at KISTI headquarters in Daejeon in 2026 
Key strategic assets for quantum cluster gather… Daejeon to make a full-fledged leap as 'South Korea's Quantum Hub'

Daejeon Metropolitan City has once again proven its status as 'South Korea's Quantum Technology Hub'. As the government's first commercial quantum computer, introduced to usher in the era of quantum computing, will be installed in Daejeon, the city is set to make a full-fledged leap as the center of the quantum technology and industry ecosystem.

Daejeon City announced on the 10th that the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), located in Daejeon, was finally selected as the lead institution for the 「Quantum Computing Service and Utilization System Construction Project」, overseen by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Accordingly, the nation's first government-led commercial quantum computer will be installed at KISTI's Daejeon headquarters by 2026.

This project is a key national R&D initiative to lay the groundwork for quantum computing commercialization and build a hybrid infrastructure with supercomputing, with a total of 48.2 billion won in national funding to be invested by 2028.

The equipment to be installed is 'Tempo', developed by 'IonQ', a world-leading quantum computing company from the United States. It is a high-performance commercial quantum computer with 100 qubits. A 'qubit' is the smallest unit of information in a quantum computer, capable of simultaneously representing 0 and 1, thus enabling parallel processing of complex computations.

'Tempo' is evaluated for achieving stable and precise computational performance by utilizing the Ion Trap method.

The 'Tempo' quantum computer will not only be used independently but will also be operated as a quantum-supercomputing hybrid platform in conjunction with the national supercomputer No. 6, which will also be built at KISTI.

The introduction of this quantum computer marks the government's first direct acquisition of a physical quantum computer, and it is expected to be a significant turning point that goes beyond simple infrastructure construction, driving the practical problem-solving in industrial fields and expanding the base of quantum technology.

Daejeon City explained that with the attraction of this quantum computer, strategic assets for the quantum cluster are now genuinely gathering in Daejeon, and the leap forward as a quantum technology hub city in South Korea is becoming a reality.

Indeed, over the past two years, Daejeon has continuously secured major government projects corresponding to key strategic assets of the quantum cluster, such as the Quantum Graduate School, Quantum Fab, Quantum Testbed, Quantum Computing Quantum Transformation Scale-up Valley, Quantum International Cooperation Center, and Quantum Platform, thereby building a robust quantum-based ecosystem.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo emphasized, "Quantum computing is at the core of global technological hegemony competition, and this project is a strategic turning point for securing future leadership. We will foster Daejeon as a bona fide 'Quantum Capital of South Korea' by creating an ecosystem that encompasses quantum R&D, industrialization, and talent cultivation, centered around the Daedeok Innopolis."