Towards Building a Quantum Ecosystem in Malaysia

As of 2024, at least 29 government entities across the globe have launched national quantum initiatives. Global investments in quantum technologies and their applications have been rising steadily, now surpassing a remarkable USD 40 billion. With the recent announcement of Google’s quantum chip, Willow, a fault-tolerant quantum computer with real-world applications is expected to be realized soon. However, like all disruptive emerging technologies, quantum technologies have strong dual-use potential in both military and humanitarian applications. It is crucial to be mindful of this duality as national quantum initiatives are being planned.

In June 2024, the United Nations (UN) officially proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025). The emphasis is particularly on the transformative impact that quantum science and technologies can have in solving some of the world's most pressing challenges outlined in the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The slogan “Quantum for Good” encapsulates the ideal that quantum technologies should be developed and used responsibly, ensuring they benefit humanity and advance society in meaningful ways.

In this context, the panel discussion aimed to engage the audience in a collaborative conversation to help define Malaysia’s quantum initiative and roadmap. Furthermore, to build a sustainable quantum ecosystem, six key fundamentals should be considered: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental — together known as PESTLE. The panel also aimed to empower the audience, who are stakeholders in this quantum ecosystem, with knowledge of science diplomacy.

Through government efforts and initiatives in quantum science and technology since 2007, Singapore has secured its leading position in the Southeast Asia region’s quantum landscape. This is evident in its quantum research, industries, and technologies through three recently established platforms: National Quantum Computing Hub, National Quantum Federated Foundry, and National Quantum-Safe Network. Additionally, a strategic startup incubator policy has allowed quantum startups to thrive in Singapore. In comparison, Malaysia attempted to venture into quantum technologies within the same timeframe, with a quantum key distribution (QKD) experiment with MIMOS, aiming to extend into quantum computing at a later stage. Recently, MIMOS announced a collaboration with SDT to establish a quantum computer center in Malaysia.

In terms of capacity building, EQuaLS were organized since 2007 to train young theoretical physicists in Malaysia, ensuring they reach sufficient technical depth to communicate at the international level. Various efforts are also being made to build quantum applications, particularly in healthcare, advanced energy materials, quantum cryptographic systems, post-quantum cryptographic systems, blockchain, quantum algorithms, and quantum error correction. However, these efforts remain mostly at the individual university level. For long-term benefits, the quantum community in Malaysia must grow and collaborate for mutual gain.

In the future, building a functional quantum computer will be beneficial for Malaysia, though it comes with challenges. In addition to export controls, Malaysia faces the challenge of the Ringgit's foreign exchange rate against other currencies. Not only does Malaysia need to pay more for importing necessary quantum technologies, but it must also offer higher-than-usual salaries to attract foreign talent as postdocs or invited researchers. In fact, the lack of talent has been a major issue in the Southeast Asia region (excluding Singapore). While the quantum industry requires talent from various fields, students should focus on transferable skills, particularly programming, to ensure that there is no mismatch between the skills offered and those needed.

From a socio-political perspective, it is crucial for Malaysia to engage in discussions on policy and regulation of quantum technologies, even though, at the current stage, Malaysia is mostly an adopter rather than a producer of quantum technologies. There is a need to regulate and ensure that quantum technologies are used responsibly. The form of quantum policy or regulation will depend largely on Malaysia’s current needs and setup, including quantum startups, expertise, technologies, and the diplomatic alignment Malaysia wishes to pursue with other countries. In fact, members of MyQI have actively engaged with government bodies in 2024, such as the Ministry of Digital, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), and the Ministry of Defense Malaysia (MINDEF), to discuss various matters. These include the inclusion of quantum information university courses, the establishment of a post-quantum cryptographic center, and hosting the Southeast Asia Quantum Summit in 2025. Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) will be preparing a position paper on quantum technologies to plan for a quantum initiative and roadmap for Malaysia in the future with inputs from members of MyQI.

For IYQ 2025, quantum physicists from Southeast Asia have decided to work together as a regional quantum ecosystem for mutual benefits. In addition to the Southeast Asia Quantum Summit 2025, other regional activities have been planned. A joint Open Quantum Institute (OQI) × Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) hackathon will be organized in Thailand, while "Strengthening and Entangling Global Quantum Roots" (SeGQuRo) will be organized in the Philippines. It is hoped that the Global South, particularly the Southeast Asia region, can contribute to the purpose of “Quantum for Good,” while strengthening the regional quantum ecosystem in IYQ 2025.