Top Universities in Three Continents × HHRICharting the Next Frontier of Quantum Computing

“While Taiwan has advantages in semiconductors and communications, it entered the field of quantum computing relatively late. To make up for this gap, we must seek external partners,” explains Dr. Min-Hsiu Hsieh, Director of the Quantum Computing Research Center, as he outlines his motivation for building a global partner ecosystem.

Building an International Collaboration Network

Dr. Hsieh, formerly an associate professor at Sydney Quantum Academy at the University of Technology Sydney, is internationally recognized for his work in quantum error-correcting codes, quantum communication theory, quantum information theory, and quantum machine learning. After HHRI was established in 2020, he returned to Taiwan to serve as the founding director of the Quantum Computing Research Center. Drawing on over two decades of professional networks and academic connections, he continues to exert significant influence in the field.

In Australia, where he has the deepest ties, the Quantum Computing Research Center has forged partnerships with leading universities such as Monash University, the University of Queensland, and the University of Sydney. Additionally, the research center provides funding support to the nonprofit Australian Quantum Software Network, offering project-based grants that enable Australian researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD students to collaborate with the center's researchers on quantum-related research initiatives.

Beyond Australia, the Quantum Computing Research Center has established a global collaboration network spanning three continents. Partner institutions include the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford in the U.K., the University of Tokyo in Japan, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and Princeton University, the University of Maryland, and Harvard University in the U.S. Virtually all world-class universities at the forefront of quantum research are engaged in collaboration with the Center.

The Center also actively participates in top international conferences. Dr. Hsieh has served on the steering committees of two premier quantum computing conferences: the Conference on Quantum Information Processing (QIP) and the Conference on the Theory of Quantum Computation, Communication, and Cryptography (TQC). He and the center's researchers also actively participate in the Asian Quantum Information Science Conference (AQIS), thereby enhancing HHRI's influence regionally and globally.

Deepening Collaboration in a Systematic Way

Dr. Hsieh notes that past international collaboration at the Quantum Computing Research Center primarily relied on his personal academic networks, but from 2024 onward, the Center began “systematizing” collaboration. It began allocating dedicated budgets for international collaboration and signing formal contracts with partners, clearly defining research topics and specifying intellectual property rights, patents, and other key provisions. This has resulted in a far more structured approach than traditional academic exchanges.

Such collaborations allow researchers at the Quantum Center to gain insight into the mindsets of top scientists and channel this understanding into elevating their own research.

In addition to overseas collaboration, the Center is also highly active in fostering local partnerships. It participates in the national quantum initiative and has established collaborative relationships with academic institutions, including Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University, and NYCU. The Center also regularly hosts online seminars, inviting leading overseas scholars to share their latest findings and bringing cutting-edge knowledge to foster mutual growth across the local quantum research community.

A Critical Pillar for the 3+3 Strategy

For Hon Hai Technology Group's 3+3 strategy, the collaboration network that the Quantum Computing Research Center has built domestically and internationally is equally significant.

Dr. Hsieh explains that the 3+3 strategy encompasses three emerging industries (electric vehicles, robotics, and smart healthcare) and three core technologies (AI, semiconductors, and communications). Quantum computing is key to enhancing computational power and serves as the next-generation foundational technology underpinning all of these domains.

Through international and domestic collaboration, the Center not only addresses Taiwan's gaps in quantum computing and accelerates talent development but, more importantly, also transforms technologies and capabilities generated through these partnerships into actionable resources. In doing so, it serves as a critical pillar supporting the group's 3+3 strategic framework.

Dr. Hsieh hopes that in the future, the Center can continue to bring excellent overseas quantum computing researchers and students to Taiwan while promoting Taiwan's outstanding scholars and research results onto the international stage.

Through global and local collaborations, the Quantum Computing Research Center not only injects new momentum into the Group's 3+3 strategy but also opens a gateway for Taiwan's quantum research to connect with the world.