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THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (NUS) HAS SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) WITH AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS) for a collaboration to boost the development of quantum communication and computing technologies, and explore potential industry applications of quantum capabilities. Quantum computing has the potential to solve computational problems that are beyond the reach of classical computers by harnessing the laws of quantum mechanics to build more powerful tools for processing information. Developing quantum algorithms and designing useful quantum applications require new skills and potentially radically different approaches. Quantum communication offers encryption that is resistant to computational hacks and new possibilities in networking. The collaboration is led by the Quantum Engineering Programme (QEP), a national initiative launched in 2018 by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF), which aims to leverage quantum technologies to solve real-world problems. The programme is hosted by NUS. Under the MoU, AWS will support QEP in the development of quantum computing
research and projects, and connect to the National Quantum-Safe Network for quantum communications. Both areas include the identification of use cases and development of applications that could support the future commercialisation of Singapore-designed quantum computing and communication technologies, and the joint organisation of academic, scientific and public outreach activities like seminars, workshops, festivals and conferences. Professor Chen Tsuhan, NUS Deputy President (Research & Technology), said, “Singapore’s journey to becoming a knowledge-based economy requires a right mix of world-class talent, cutting-edge infrastructure, and a well-established knowledge transfer ecosystem. A cornerstone of this vision is the QEP hosted at NUS, which brings together expertise in quantum science and engineering, and aims to translate radical innovations into commercialisable solutions. This collaboration between QEP and AWS is a crucial enabler for the nation’s full digital transformation and opens the door to a quantum-ready future.”
POWERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH C OLLABORATION Singapore’s Quantum Engineering Programme teams up with Amazon Web Services on projects that will advance quantum communication and computing technologies, and explore potential commercial applications to help industry keep pace with evolving trends.
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Quantum technologies have been identified as a key technology area under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan, which NRF manages. The collaboration between QEP and AWS will accelerate the development of innovations and solutions in this field. Mr Ling Keok Tong, Director (Smart Nation and Digital Economy) at NRF, said, “Through our early and steady investments over the last 20 years, Singapore has developed world-class capabilities in quantum technologies. We intend to collaborate with AWS to bring these technologies to fruition through actual products and services, and continue to spur our local research ecosystem to push the envelope in developing capabilities and technologies that are of interest to the industry.” “Singapore has built its quantum technology expertise over many
