South Korea has commissioned its sixth national supercomputer, Hangang, which is planned to be integrated with the IonQ Tempo quantum system in the first half of 2027, the Seoul Economic Daily reports.
The project aims to create a hybrid computing infrastructure combining classical high-performance computing with quantum data processing.
The Hangang launch ceremony was held on November 2 at the headquarters of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KISTI) in Daejeon. The system is equipped with 8,496 graphics processing units (including NVIDIA GH200 accelerators) and 9,936 central processing units. Its theoretical computing performance is 24 times that of the previous national supercomputer, Nurion. Storage capacity has increased tenfold, while network bandwidth has quadrupled.
The government expects Hangang to rank among the world's ten most powerful supercomputers. Official user services will begin on December 16. The system is currently operating in test mode and already supports around 190 research projects.
Quantum computer to be connected in 2027
The next step will be integrating Hangang with IonQ's Tempo quantum computer. KISTI previously signed agreements with IonQ and Nvidia to create a hybrid infrastructure. IonQ is to provide the 100-qubit Tempo system, while Nvidia will provide the CUDA-Q software platform and technologies for combining quantum hardware with classical computing resources.
The supercomputer is expected to perform resource-intensive computations and simulations, while the quantum processor will help solve specific optimization problems. This approach should make it possible to leverage the strengths of both types of hardware.
Infrastructure to be used in national research
Hangang will become part of the government K-Moonshot program, which aims to address major scientific and technological challenges. The authorities plan to allocate computing resources as follows: 55% to innovative research and development, 30% to national strategic projects, and 15% to industrial research.
Potential applications include developing new materials and batteries, modeling climate processes, medical research, and financial optimization.
Recall that in June, the South Korean authorities included quantum technologies among the 10 strategic areas in the Sixth Basic Plan for Science and Technology.
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