LG Electronics joins IBM Quantum Network

LG Electronics has become the latest member of IBM’s Quantum Network – a community of Fortune 500 companies, universities, start ups and national research labs set up by IBM to advance the industry applications of quantum computing.

By joining the IBM Quantum Network, the South Korean electronics manufacturer will receive access to IBM’s quantum computing systems, as well as to IBM’s quantum expertise and Qiskit, IBM’s open-source quantum information software development kit.

Quantum computers use qubits – the quantum version of the classic binary bit – to solve problems that are fundamentally intractable for classical computers which calculate in bits represented by 0 and 1.

In a press release issued by IBM today, LG said that it would use IBM Quantum technology to explore applications of quantum computing in areas that required the processing of a large amount of data including AI, connected cars, digital transformation, IoT, and robotics.

To leverage this technology, it added that LG staff will be given training to enable them to investigate how potential breakthroughs can be applied across areas such as finance, energy, chemistry, materials science, ‎optimization, and machine learning.

Byoung-Hoon Kim, CTO and EVP of LG Electronics added that by joining the network the firm aimed “to provide customers with value that they have not experienced so far by leveraging quantum computing technology in future businesses.”

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University and Samsung are also part of the IBM Quantum Network and IBM fellow and VP, quantum computing at IBM Jay Gambetta said that he was happy to welcome LG to “the growing quantum computing ecosystem in Korea.”

The news follows the unveiling last November of IBM’s ‘Eagle’ quantum computing processor with 127 qubits – which the computer manufacturer heralded as  a major step forward in IBM’s roadmap to reach Quantum Advantage.