Science ministry launches three-hub quantum testbed to widen commercialization trials

South Korea's science ministry said Wednesday it will build out its open quantum testbed into three hubs from this year through 2028, widening the trials available to companies that cannot afford their own quantum-encryption networks and measuring equipment.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency opened the project at a launch meeting in Pangyo the same day. The hubs divide by the maturity of the technology being tested: a commercial hub run by a KT-led consortium, an overseas hub run by an SK Broadband-led consortium, and a future hub, also assigned to the KT group.

The government will put 7.4 billion won ($5.57 million) into the work this year, split between 3.75 billion won ($2.82 million) in state funding and 3.65 billion won ($2.75 million) from the private sector.

The existing test network, in place since 2024 along the Seoul-Pangyo-Daejeon corridor, will reach Daegu this year, Gwangju and Busan in 2027, and the Gangwon region in 2028. From those links, the ministry aims to apply quantum-encryption communications to data transfers in research, medical and financial settings, and to verify that equipment from different domestic manufacturers can interoperate.

The overseas hub will link trials with quantum testbeds in Singapore, Poland and Bulgaria, applying quantum key distribution (QKD) on domestic and local segments and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) on long-distance international routes. The demonstrations cover research data and the protection of data for urban air mobility.

The future hub takes on technologies further from the market: long-range wireless quantum-encrypted communication and the distribution of quantum entanglement across multiple points.

"To bring the commercialization of quantum technology forward, it is important to widen the testing base so that companies can verify their technology and products in a variety of environments," said Yoon Kyung-sook, the ministry's director-general for basic and original research policy. "The government will increase companies' testing opportunities by expanding domestic testbeds and linking with overseas ones, and strengthen testing, verification and technical support suited to demand in the field."

The project follows the government's August decision to place quantum among the next-generation frontier areas of its seven SEED projects for future growth drivers.