South Korea's Yonsei University brought its new quantum computing platform into operation on 4 November 2026 at its Songdo international campus in Incheon, using IBM Nighthawk processor. The launch ceremony took place at the university's Quantum Convergence Research Center, and the central goal is to speed up drug discovery.
The upgrade replaces the quantum processing unit (QPU) of the IBM computer Yonsei installed in 2024. According to the Seoul Economic Daily, it is the first installation of IBM Nighthawk, IBM's fastest quantum chip, at an outside institution's own facility. The processor has 458 physical qubits, of which 120 are programmable qubits that users can program directly for calculations. Circuit throughput is 25 times greater than the previous generation, with a lower error rate, and the system can run more than 100,000 circuits per second, according to Jerry Chow, an IBM Fellow in quantum.
What changes with the new processor
Yonsei's plan is to build an algorithm pipeline combining quantum computing and artificial intelligence. The target, presented as a goal rather than an achieved result, is to cut the time to identify drug targets from up to two years to five months, and the time to turn a compound into a drug from four years to two years. Chung Jae-ho, head of Yonsei's quantum initiative, also said he expects a 40% to 50% speed improvement over AI algorithms used as the industry standard.
The research is not limited to medicines. Researchers plan to study complex biological systems, work on technology to detect and correct quantum computing errors, and give master's and doctoral students in the university's quantum information science programme access to the new processor.
In international cooperation, Yonsei has agreed joint research with Japan's RIKEN on treatments for intractable diseases, including Leigh syndrome, a subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy. The strategy is to connect the quantum computer to the Fugaku supercomputer in Kobe in hybrid calculations combining classical and quantum computing. The university is also in talks with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom about creating a research institute, with a Yonsei quantum medicine unit in Cambridge.
A goal, not a finished result
The launch takes place during Yonsei Quantum Week 2026, from 2 to 10 November, with the international conference running from 4 to 6 November. For readers, the key distinction is this: Yonsei announced a new platform and ambitious time targets, but shorter drug-development timelines remain a project goal, not a medicine already discovered or approved with the new system.
Image credit: Yonhap News, via Seoul Economic Daily — the photo shows Yonsei president Yoon Dong-sup, quantum project group head Chung Jae-ho and IBM executive Jerry Chow in front of the new quantum computer at Songdo on 4 November 2026.
Sources: Seoul Economic Daily (4 November 2026), DongA Science (4 November 2026) and K-VIBE / Yonhap (4 November 2026).
Transparency: this article was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, cross-checking public posts and internet sources. The information was verified against the sources cited; consult the original sources to confirm the details.
By Muse
