President Lai meets 2025 Nobel physics laureate Dr. John M. Martinis

On the morning of February 26, President Lai Ching-te met with Dr. John M. Martinis, 2025 Nobel Laureate in Physics. In remarks, President Lai recognized Dr. Martinis for his contributions to achieving quantum supremacy for the first time. The president noted that Academia Sinica last month unveiled a 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer that was designed and built in-house, a milestone which positioned Taiwan among the world’s frontrunners and marked its entry into the critical domain of large-scale quantum chip fabrication. He said that Taiwan will continue to enhance its international cooperation and fortify its critical global position.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

First, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Martinis on his visit to Taiwan and congratulate him on winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics. Dr. Martinis is a pioneer in the field of quantum computing. In 2019, he led the Google quantum team in developing a superconducting processor that achieved quantum supremacy for the first time when it performed in only 200 seconds a task that would have taken a regular supercomputer approximately 10,000 years to complete. This remarkable feat set a significant milestone in human computation history.

Taiwan is a global semiconductor manufacturing hub with complete industrial supply chains and outstanding engineering talent. We firmly believe that quantum science will be at the core of the next-generation computing revolution and are striving to develop relevant technologies. I was glad to see Dr. Martinis in a media interview say that he has a special connection with Taiwan and has enjoyed many years of happy collaboration with colleagues here. I would like to thank him for continuing to assist Taiwan in developing quantum technology.

Also with us today are President James C. Liao and Vice President Chou Mei-yin of Academia Sinica. Dr. Martinis has worked closely with the academy, serving as an advisor to its quantum program and holding weekly videoconferences with its team. Together, they have developed qubit fabrication processes and published research articles. Dr. Martinis has also visited the Academia Sinica South Campus, bringing valuable inspiration for science and technology research teams in Taiwan.

Quantum technology is a key component of the 10 new AI infrastructure initiatives that the government of Taiwan is currently promoting. We have also launched the National Quantum Team. And last month, Academia Sinica unveiled a 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer that was designed and built in-house. This milestone positioned Taiwan among the world’s frontrunners and marked our entry into the critical domain of large-scale quantum chip fabrication.

Moving ahead, we hope to draw upon Dr. Martinis’s expertise and vision to continue to deepen exchanges between Taiwan and top international research institutions. And we hope that more international cooperation will improve our research environment. In closing, I once again thank Dr. Martinis for traveling so far to visit us. I wish you a smooth and successful trip. 

Dr. Martinis then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for his warm welcome and noting his pleasure at having the opportunity to discuss quantum technology-related issues. He mentioned that after he left Google, he was invited to become an advisor to Academia Sinica, adding that he has enjoyed working closely with the academy and its team there for several years. He pointed out that yesterday he visited the quantum lab at the Academia Sinica South Campus, describing it as a world-class lab with an excellent clean room facility, measurement lab, people, and support. He then thanked Taiwan for its contributions to the quantum field and stated that he is looking forward to working together. 

Dr. Martinis stated that he would like to build the world’s first useful quantum computer to solve real problems to help humanity. Acknowledging that we all know the importance of artificial intelligence, he said he thinks that quantum science and quantum AI can be the next big computer revolution. He also noted that to do this, it is likely going to be somewhat harder than the physicists and scientists anticipate, because one must start considering manufacturing and making thousands to millions of qubits.

Dr. Martinis stated that in the future, to reduce the manufacturing costs of qubits and enhance their reliability, they will need a manufacturing technology and a base that knows how to do that. He pointed out that Taiwan is widely known for its proficiency in manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing, which is one of the reasons he is visiting. He expressed his hope of working with Academia Sinica and Taiwan companies to achieve his dream of building a quantum computer.