TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's premier research funding body, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC, 國科會), has thrown its weight behind an innovative quantum-inspired computing project that bridges academic research with commercial applications. The council announced Wednesday (May 7) its support for research led by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU, 成功大學) Associate Professor Shu Yu-chen (舒宇宸), who will collaborate with major electronics manufacturer Compal Electronics (仁寶電腦) to harness GPU-driven accelerated computing for enhancing annealing computation performance through parallel processing techniques.
Officials from the science council emphasized that this academia-industry partnership represents a crucial bridge connecting theoretical quantum-inspired computing concepts with practical market applications, potentially generating substantial economic benefits for Taiwan's technology sector. The NSTC explained that although full-scale quantum computers excel at solving complex optimization problems through their exponential computational capabilities, meaningful technological advancement requires precisely this kind of collaborative approach between university researchers and industry partners to develop commercially viable hardware and software implementations.
The science council outlined the ambitious scope of Professor Shu's research initiative, which will systematically develop and validate applications using diverse annealing computation techniques. These applications address complex challenges across multiple disciplines, including combinatorial optimization, advanced scheduling systems, experimental design generation, pharmaceutical molecule design, optical lithography mask design, and manufacturing process optimization for MicroLED technology. According to the NSTC, the research team's partnership with Compal will specifically target performance improvements in annealing computation through sophisticated parallel processing implementation on graphics processing units (GPUs).
In its announcement, the council underscored that this project aligns with Taiwan's broader national strategy prioritizing quantum computing technologies, with particular emphasis on developing sophisticated quantum algorithms and specialized software applications. These priority research areas have been formally incorporated into Taiwan's comprehensive science and technology development roadmap, reflecting the government's commitment to fostering additional collaborative ventures between university researchers and industry partners. Such partnerships are considered essential for advancing Taiwan's capabilities in quantum computing hardware and software development amid intensifying global competition in emerging technologies. ★