PASQAL, POSCO Holdings and Qunova Computing to Develop Quantum Technologies for Traditional Steelmaking and Materials Development

By Carolyn Mathas

POSCO Holdings steel company, PASQAL And Kunova Computing announced they would collaborate to develop quantum computing technology for traditional steelmaking.

New Experience POSCO Holdings Technology Center plans to conduct research and development of quantum AI algorithms together with PASQAL. These efforts will be focused on optimizing the hydrogen reduction steel (HyREX) manufacturing process and developing secondary battery materials using POSCO Group’s AI technology and PASQAL quantum computer technology.

Quantum Technology and Steel

AI and quantum technologies have several potential applications including increased environmental sustainability for steel processes. According to World Steel Association, every ton of steel produced produces emissions of 1.89 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. In 2020, for example, the production of 1,860 million tonnes of steel will mean the direct emission of around 2.6 billion tonnes – between 7% and 9% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

The POSCO Holdings consortium, which was selected in 2023 as a national project, plans to develop technology that increases the accuracy of material characteristic analysis and reduces the time required by using a quantum computer.

It is difficult to find scalable solutions that optimize new processes and reduce costs, but quantum computers are already being used to identify challenges to steel production. They are also in the early stages of optimization. For example, Nippon Steel recently teamed up with Cambridge Quantum Computing and Honeywell to improve supply chain efficiency, while the QUALIM project is investigating the potential of quantum computers for metal processing.

A new release announcing this collaboration is available on the Pasqal website Here.

July 5, 2023