TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will set aside an NT$8 billion (US$288 million) budget for the development of quantum computing technology and talent nurturing, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced Thursday (Dec. 2).
A task force has been formed, pooling resources from technology and economic affairs departments as well as Academia Sinica, for the implementation of the five-year initiative between 2022 and 2026, according to Su.
Considering it a “next-generation computing technology” destined to bring about revolutionary changes to areas spanning information security, finance, transportation, and national defense, Su said he believes quantum computing, along with artificial intelligence and big data, will play a pivotal role in shaping a smart society of the future, per CNA.
Taiwan has what it takes to promote the technology, Su reckoned, with the country’s strengths in chip manufacturing and packaging, as well as controlling and processing quantum bits (qubits). A base will be established at the Shalun Green Energy Technology Demonstration Site in Tainan for the research and development of the technology.