SK Telecom Launches X Quantum Alliance to Build Out Country’s Ecosystem

Insider Brief

• SK Telecom officially launched its new quantum alliance, X Quantum, this week.
• South Korea’s largest wireless carrier by membership formed an alliance with six other companies to explore joint marketing and business opportunities within the quantum ecosystem.
• SK Telecom also introduced Q-HSM, the next-generation quantum cryptography chip.

SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier by membership, officially launched its new quantum alliance, X Quantum, this week, South Korean media is reporting.

This initiative marks a significant step in fostering advancements in the burgeoning quantum technology sector. The Korean Herald reported that SK Telecom, along with six other companies—Nokia, SOS Lab, Xgate, Wooriro, KCS and IDQ Korea—formed this alliance to explore joint marketing and business opportunities within the quantum ecosystem.

Representatives tell the Korean Herald that X Quantum symbolizes the consortium’s leadership in the “quantum frontier,” as it takes on the role in pioneering new markets within the fast-evolving global quantum technology landscape. SK Telecom emphasized that the alliance aims to open up new commercial and technological avenues as quantum-related markets continue to emerge.

In addition to the announcement about X Quantum, SK Telecom introduced the alliance’s first commercial product: the next-generation quantum cryptography chip Q-HSM, according to the newspaper. Developed in collaboration with KCS, this advanced chip incorporates quantum-tolerant cryptography technology, enhancing the quantum cryptography chip that both companies showcased at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, the world’s premier mobile technology event.

KCS likely refers to KCS Corporation, a South Korean company involved in the development of advanced security technologies.

According to the Korean Herald, the Q-HSM chip integrates several cutting-edge technologies: hardware-based quantum random number generators, physical unclonable function technology and software-based post-quantum cryptography communication technology. These technologies collectively bolster the chip’s security features, making it suitable for integration into devices such as drones and security cameras.

The introduction of Q-HSM is just the beginning for X Quantum. The alliance tells the newspaper it plans to continue developing innovative products and exploring business opportunities within the quantum technology space.The telecom company is reportedly investigating the development of hybrid products that integrate post-quantum cryptography technology with quantum key distribution technology, further enhancing security measures in communication technologies.

X Quantum is set to showcase the Q-HSM chip at Quantum Korea, the largest exhibition dedicated to quantum technology in Korea. The event, held at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, will take place on Tuesday. SK Telecom announced that the Q-HSM chip would be immediately commercialized following its unveiling at the exhibition.