On May 23, 2025, IonQ signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) to accelerate South Korea’s role in the global quantum computing race. Under the agreement, IonQ would deliver a 100-qubit IonQ Tempo quantum computer to KISTI and collaborate on advanced infrastructure access, education, talent exchange, and market expansion.
According to IonQ’s announcement, the Tempo system would be integrated into KISTI-6, the largest high-performance computing cluster in Korea, creating the country’s first instance of onsite hybrid quantum-classical integration. The computing environment would be accessible to academia and enterprise via a private cloud. IonQ described the project as supporting the establishment of South Korea’s National Quantum Computing Center of Excellence.