Insider Brief
- SDT has joined Open Quantum Design as a member and manufacturing partner to support the development of open-source ion-trap quantum computing hardware.
- The partnership will have SDT manufacture components including vacuum chambers, ion-trapping electrodes, optical systems, and control electronics based on OQD’s publicly available designs.
- SDT and OQD aim to expand access to quantum hardware development by combining open-source designs with manufacturing and integration capabilities.
South Korean quantum technology company SDT has joined Open Quantum Design, a Canadian non-profit organization, as a member and will serve as its official manufacturing partner, the Seoul Economic Daily reported. SDT announced the membership on August 13, with the agreement signed at Quantum Korea 2026. Greg Dick, co-founder and CEO of OQD, and Yoon Ji-won, CEO of SDT, signed the membership at the ceremony.
Open Quantum Design, known as OQD, is developing what it describes as the world’s first ion-trap quantum computer for which hardware blueprints, control devices, and software are all being made publicly available. The full design and software required to operate the system including vacuum apparatus and electrodes that trap ions, lasers, optical components, control devices, and operating programs, are being released openly to allow universities, research institutions, and companies to participate in quantum computer development more easily, according to the publication.
SDT’s Manufacturing Role
SDT will be responsible for converting OQD’s released designs into working hardware. Its manufacturing scope covers vacuum chambers, ion-trapping electrodes, laser and optical systems, and control electronics. The company will also take part in developing user-interface software.
The source noted that releasing blueprints alone does not complete a quantum computer. Converting open-source designs into functional equipment requires manufacturing, assembly, and control technology, which SDT will provide.
SDT has also joined the preferred-supplier program for LightFlow, described as a cloud-based design and fabrication platform for free-space optical systems. Through that program, the company plans to participate in producing the optical components and ion-trap hardware used in OQD’s quantum computers.
Geographic Expansion and Company Ambitions
OQD plans to expand its open-source quantum computing ecosystem into ASEAN countries, including Singapore, and into Latin America, according to the publication.
Through the partnership, SDT said it plans to expand beyond supplying individual components toward integrating the design, manufacturing, control systems, and software of quantum computers.
SDT CEO Yoon Ji-won said in a statement cited by the Seoul Economic Daily: “To build a quantum computer, you have to advance ion traps, optical devices, control electronics and manufacturing technology together. Through this partnership, we will provide SDT’s design and manufacturing capabilities to the global quantum community.”
