KISTI unveils vision for 'intelligent computing' through AI, supercomputing and quantum fusion

Discussions on accelerating scientific discovery and industrial innovation through the convergence of AI, supercomputers and quantum computers are set to begin in earnest.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) will hold the Korea Supercomputing Conference 2026 (KSC2026) at the Swiss Grand Hotel Convention Center in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Now in its 23rd year, KSC2026 will be held under the theme "The Intelligent Frontier: Synergizing HPC, AI and Quantum."

The conference will focus on how to combine the raw computational power of high-performance computing (HPC), the learning and inference capabilities of AI, and the new computational paradigm offered by quantum computing.

As generative AI and AI applications in science and technology spread rapidly, securing the massive computing resources needed to support them has emerged as a key factor in national scientific competitiveness. Quantum computing's potential to solve complex problems that conventional supercomputers struggle to handle has further fueled interest in next-generation computing that integrates HPC, AI and quantum.

The conference will address core issues in future computing, including "AI for Science," large-scale AI and HPC infrastructure, HPC applications and technology, and quantum and hybrid computing.

The opening keynote on the first day will be delivered by Nam Yi-hyun, chief executive of FADU, a data center semiconductor company. Nam will speak on "Redefining Data Center Flash: The Future of NAND, SSDs and Controllers in the AI Era," outlining how the spread of AI is transforming the data center storage industry and the direction of technological innovation.

Kim Seong-hyeok, a senior vice president at LG Electronics, will analyze the expectations and realities surrounding quantum computing and assess the current state of the technology and its future development potential.

The event will also take a close look at the practical applications of quantum computing, which has drawn attention as a next-generation computing technology. Sessions will examine how quantum computing can be applied across a range of fields, including quantum state analysis, combinatorial optimization and drug development.

Particular attention will be paid to hybrid approaches that combine AI and quantum computing, along with real-world research cases, as the conference looks ahead to the new computational environment that the convergence of HPC, AI and quantum computing could create.

Specialized sessions and workshops will also be held to share the latest research findings in supercomputing applications and support, computational science, and HPC hardware and software technology.

Lee Sik, KISTI president and organizing committee chair for KSC2026, said the time has come to further accelerate scientific discovery and industrial innovation through the convergence of HPC, AI and quantum computing. "We hope this event will serve as a platform that connects different technologies and research fields and sparks new research and collaboration," he said.