The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) is holding the Inaugural Plenary Meeting of the IEC/ISO JTC 3 (“JTC3”) from May 28–30 at the Plaza Hotel Seoul with the participation of approximately 100 representatives from 22 countries, including the U.S., UK, Germany, and China.



Aware that quantum technology is key to future advanced industries, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) jointly established JTC3 in December 2023 with aim to catalyze both R&D and industrialization of quantum computing, communications, materials, and sensing through standardization, which comes 37 years since launching the ISO/IEC JTC 1 in 1987 as a joint technical committee (JTC) for information technology (IT) like artificial intelligence (AI) and information security. Korea is serving as the inaugural JTC3 Chair since this February and is now holding the first Plenary in Seoul.



The Inaugural Plenary saw the gathering of representatives from various affiliations, including companies like IBM, Microsoft, LG Electronics, and Huawei, research institutes like the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the U.S.’ National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST), as well as government authorities like Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).



Over the three-day period, experts will discuss standards development in quantum computing, quantum sensing, basic terminology, and quantum technology classification. The second day will proceed with an international symposium, where countries can share standards strategies and their respective quantum technology development progresses.