Taiwan will invest heavily in quantum computing, Taiwan News is reporting and the premier is a believer in the promise of the technology.

The country will invest about NT$8 billion (US$288 million) for the development of quantum computing technology and building a quantum computing workforce, Premier Su Tseng-chan said recently.

Su said he believes quantum computing, along with artificial intelligence and big data, will play a pivotal role in shaping a smart society of the future, reports CNA, adding that he considers it a “next-generation computing technology” that would promote “revolutionary” changes to areas such as information security, finance, transportation and national defense.

Su also announced the country’s first steps in pursuing this five-year — between 2022 and 2026 — initiative, according to Su.quantum computing. A task force has already been formed, which will rely on resources from technology and economic affairs departments as well as Academia Sinica.

The country will lean on its established technological strengths, such as chip manufacturing, to build the quantum ecosystem, said Su. The country’s researchers are also adept at creating qubit control technology.

The Shalun Green Energy Technology Demonstration Site in Tainan will serve as the hub for the research and development of the technology.