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M.S. Jhon (U.S.A.)
Carnegie Mellon University
mj3a@andrew.cmu.edu

Joosun Kim (Korea)
Korea Nanotechnology Research Society
joosun@kist.re.kr

The 20^th U.S.-Korea Forum on Nanotechnology:

Energy-efficient Systems for Artificial Intelligence and
Quantum & Neuromorphic Applications

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Adopted by the participants on September 15, 2026

   The first quarter of the 21^st century has witnessed a surge of convergence of nanotechnologies and their application in a broad range of science and technology areas. This has been accompanied by numerous interdisciplinary research initiatives aimed at promoting rapid advances toward the fourth industrial revolution. To further promote development of new technologies, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Republic of Korea Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) have been promoting and encouraging a common venue for exchange of ideas and research collaboration in nanotechnology, and related areas such as deeply scaled CMOS electronics for low power devices and chips, and quantum technology under the auspice of Fora established as a result of recommendations made by the Korea-U.S. joint committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, held on October 31, 2002, in Seoul, Korea.

   Since 2003, these Fora have been extremely successful, promoting developments in nanotechnology, and more recently, enabling developments in the emerging area of quantum technology. These Fora are a testimony to the transformative power of identifying a concept or a technology trend, and laying out a vision at the synergistic confluence of diverse scientific research areas. The Fora have successfully provided a common platform for effective networking between research communities and industries in the two countries by identifying emerging areas in nanotechnology that are likely to generate significant impacts. This is evident from the major collaboration initiatives between the U.S. and Korea established through the Fora. The Fora have expedited generation of cutting-edge technologies for thrust areas in the two countries.  To the best of our knowledge, this Forum series between the U.S. and Korea, has been the longest duration Forum of its kind. This Forum series, publicized through the Carnegie Mellon website: http://www.cmu.edu/nanotechnology-forum/, has served as a benchmark for other international fora.

   With the mission to create a platform for collaboration, the 1^st U.S.-Korea Forum on Nanotechnology, was launched on October 14th -18th of 2003, in Seoul, Korea, with funding from the NSF. MSIT, the Korean counterpart of the NSF, funded the participation of the Korean attendees. Topics for subsequent Fora were recommended by Advisory Committee Members, depending on the needs of the two countries at the time of the meeting the locations of the Fora have alternated between Korea and the U.S. The 2^nd Forum was on nanomanufacturing research and development of educational programs covering the field of nanotechnology. The 3^rd Forum focused on active devices and the related system level research, unlike the passive systems that were the subject of the first two Fora. The focus of the 4^th Forum was on sustainable nano-energy, with emphasis on design and characterization of materials, as well as devices and systems for energy applications. The 5^th Forum focused on the then emerging area of nano-biotechnology, emphasizing novel nano-biomaterials, instrumentation technologies, and integrated systems for overcoming critical challenges in biomedicine and delivery of healthcare, as well as their environmental, health & safety (EHS), and toxicity issues. The 6^th Forum dealt with nano-electronics with emphasis on fundamentals as well as integration of devices into systems, including the convergence technologies with biotechnology. The 7^th Forum was on discussions that ranged from nanotechnology convergence with current and future energy technologies, to environmentally friendly solutions, through the crippling challenges in efficient utilization. These seven Fora culminated in the seamless development and feedback process that documented the advent of nanotechnology convergence in a broad range of science and technology areas of the first decade of the 21^st century (NANO1). The 8th Forum, in 2011, was on nanotechnology convergence and sustainability, heralded new horizons in nanotechnology for the next decade (NANO2) by addressing critical problems faced by an ever-increasing global population, with an emphasis on environmentally friendly technologies for the future of nanotechnology and sustainability, focusing on water reuse and desalination, greenhouse gas capture and conversion, and sustainable natural resources. The 9^th Forum focused on channeling nanotechnology to the masses to responsibly address broad societal challenges, such as nanoscience fundamentals, sustainability, and state-of-the-art applications of the new generation of nanotechnology products. The 10^th Forum produced a roadmap for a new generation of nanotechnology products and processes. The 11^th Forum focused on nanomanufacturing of nanocomposite, and nanoinformatics. This Forum provided an opportunity to realize the potential of nanotechnology through development of innovative and sustainable nanomanufacturing technologies for producing novel, strong, light, and smart nanocomposites and their management through nano-informatics, which is likely lead to paradigm-shifting next-generation, enhanced-performance products in a broad range of existing industries that included aerospace, automotive, energy, environmental remediation, information technologies, as well as other emerging industries. The 12^th Forum focused on a roadmap for a new paradigm in nanoscience-convergence with two-dimensional (2D) materials and on water purification through explorations of improvements in technology tools for application of nanotechnology and functional and novel nanomaterials to water-filtration and related topics. The 13^th Forum focused on a new paradigm in nanoscience-convergence in brain-inspired (neuromorphic) computing, water and energy. The 14^th Forum focused on a roadmap for a new paradigm in nanoscience-convergence that included nano-sensors and neuromorphic computing. The 15^th Forum was focused on nanomedicine at the single-cell level, as well as continuing efforts on nano-sensors, including internet of things (IoT) devices. The 16^th Forum, held in 2019, focused on realizing the promise of nanotechnology developments in novel nanomedicine applications at the single-cell level, as well as sensors related to human cognition and brain science. The Forum was suspended for three years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The 17^th Forum, held in 2023, explored next-generation semiconductors and the environmental implications of semiconductor manufacturing. This Forum discussed development of advanced semiconductor devices for emerging neuromorphic in-memory computing, future CMOS nodes, monolithic 3D integration, advanced packaging (design, manufacturing, and technology), and heterogeneous integration. The 18^th Forum, which was held in 2024, explored advanced semiconductor and sensor technologies; it examined sustainability in semiconductor manufacturing, and sensors related to human cognition. The 19^th Forum addressed sustainable semiconductor manufacturing by design, neuromorphic computing, and quantum sensing.

   This 20th Forum was held on September 14&15, 2026, at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina. The themes of the Forum were on (i) Energy-efficient Systems for Artificial Intelligence, (ii) Quantum Technologies, and (iii) Neuromorphic Systems and Applications. Fifty-nine eminent scientists and policy makers in the field of semiconductors and nano/quantum technologies attended. The opening remarks at this Forum were delivered by Professor Elias Towe of Carnegie Mellon University. The welcoming remarks were provided by Dr. James Pfaendtner, Provost of NCSU, who welcomed the attendees to the university. Dr. Joosun Kim, President of the Korea Nanotechnology Research Society welcomed the attendees to the Forum. Finally, Dr. Seongsin Margaret Kim, Program Director of the National Science Foundation also provided welcoming remarks. The Forum consisted of the four sessions described below.

Keynote Session: The keynote session established the strategic and technical context of the Forum. The first speaker of this session was Dr. Seongsin Margaret Kim, who presented the U.S. strategy for quantum science and engineering, which prioritizes quantum computing, quantum networking, and quantum sensing, including the enabling technologies in photonics, materials, cryogenic systems, control electronics, and advanced manufacturing. Her presentation highlighted challenges associated with scaling, benchmarking, infrastructure, workforce development, supply-chain resilience, and the quantum technology transition from laboratory demonstrations to deployable, practical systems. This speaker was followed by Dr. Jaewan Kim of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), who presented Korea's Quantum Interconnect Project, which is a collaboration involving KRISS, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and Korea Institutes of Science and Technology Information (KISTI). The project addresses the scaling limitations of individual quantum processors through an interconnected modular architecture, comprising superconducting and photonic quantum processors, quantum networking technologies, and the algorithms and software and necessary to operate the interconnected platforms. The third speakers in this session was Professor Robert Westervelt of Harvard University. He presented some of the work performed at the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, an interdisciplinary user facility that supports fabrication, imaging, and analysis tools for nanoscale structures and systems. His presentation highlighted quantum materials and devices, photonics, meta-optics, and integrated lithium niobate photonic devices and circuits. His presentation illustrated the importance of a shared nanofabrication infrastructure in advancing research and workforce development. The three keynote presentations high-lighted the complementary requirements for future quantum and AI technologies (i) strategic coordination with national research priorities, (ii) scalable interconnections and system architectures, and (iii) accessible nanofabrication facilities capable of translating emerging concepts into integrated devices and systems.

Session #1: This session examined quantum computing, quantum communications, quantum sensing, quantum materials, and nanoscale characterization. Professor Elias Towe introduced the session and framed the connection between nanotechnology, quantum technology, and neuromorphic technology. The introductory framing was followed by a presentation given by Professor Norbert Linke of the University of Maryland, who discussed phonon-qubit hybrid quantum simulation with trapped ions, demonstrating how motional modes can be incorporated directly into quantum computation to expand the available computational state space while reducing resources for simulation of complex systems. Professor Je-Hyung Kim of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology discussed semiconductor quantum emitters as scalable quantum resources. The presentation discussed the progression of the technology from individual solid-state emitters to integrated quantum photonic systems that include cavities, waveguides, and fiber platforms.  Dr. Kim also discusses the challenges associated with interference from phonons, charge fluctuations, light extraction, and spectral inhomogeneity. Dr. Kathleen Hamilton from Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussed quantum-classical co-design for quantum machine learning, including strategies for constructing models that leverage the unique properties of quantum computers and quantum-assisted sampling techniques such as energy-based models extending training to excited states. The next speaker of this session was Professor Sang-Wook Han of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.  He addressed quantum key distribution and development of scalable quantum communication networks based on quantum photonic integrated systems. He also discussed recent developments in use of thin-film lithium niobate for next-generation Twin-Field QKD. Following this presentation, Professor Vinayak Dravid of Northwestern University discussed emerging electron microscopy approaches for quantum and neuromorphic materials, highlighting nanoscale characterization as an enabling capability for understanding and engineering advanced materials. He also alluded to opportunities for U.S.-Korea collaboration in shared facilities and instrumentation, data infrastructure, and of translation materials work from atoms to functional architectures. The next speaker was Professor Gregory Fiete of Northeastern University, who examined the generation and control of quantum states in materials using light; he also discussed the emerging frontiers in this area for artificial intelligence to assist in the development of theories for these systems. The next presentation was that of Professor Yonuk Chong from Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), who discussed the use of the SKKU Quantum Fab in the development of superconducting quantum devices, emphasizing especially the role of specialized fabrication infrastructure for quantum technology. His presentation was followed by that of Dr. Shinjae Yoo from the Broohaven National Laboratory. Dr. Yoo discussed the nexus of cryogenic AI hardware-software for energy applications; his discussion also made the connection of his work to quantum-adjacent cryogenic technologies for energy-efficient computation. The final speaker for this session was Professor Kyoung-Duck Park from Pohang University of Science and Technology; he examined near-field plasmonic tips in quantum technologies, highlighting nanoscale optical interactions as a route to precision quantum measurements and control.

   The presentations in this session show-cased the breadth of the quantum/nano ecosystem, spanning from nanoscale materials and characterization, to superconducting devices. The breadth of the presentations continued through the individual semiconductor emitters to the supporting photonics for quantum communication, to quantum processors and related interconnects for multiprocessor systems. A recurring theme of the presentations was the need to integrate advances at the material and device levels with scalable architectures and infrastructure.

Session #2: Professor Ahmed Busnaina of Northeastern talked about a new deposition process used for organic and inorganic materials, for sub-micron (down to 25 nm), tens of thousands of transistors fabrication at room temperature, that can be used to make devices in just few days, with much reduced carbon footprint. Used on conductors (silver, Co, Au, Pt, Al, Tu), Semi (Si, ZnO, ZnSe, InP, GaAs, GaN, In₂O₃), dielectrics (SiO₂, Alumina), etc. The additive manufacturing process, still uses lithography, but with a liquid-based process, i.e., with electrophoresis. His directed assembly-based printing, which directs each nanoparticle, 1000x faster and smaller than inkjet patterns, prints one circuit layer per minute, where you apply force on particles where you want them to go. With electrophoresis, you start with a “mask” and then use electric field to “assemble” the rest of the layers. Fast fluidic assembly process & convective interfacial assembly process, appear to be similar to conventional lithography. Showed I-V graph of individual transistors, capacitors, p-n diodes, logic gates (Inverters, AND, NAND, NOR).  Professor Ho Won Jang of Seoul National University, started his presentation with comparison of a computer that beat a human in the game of GO, but a computer used 1 MW of power, while a human brain consumes around 20 W. Various memristors: ion gating, intercalation, ferroelectric, spin, phase change, ionic migration. His work is on resistive switching (Ag/MAPI3/Pt) 3D halide perovskite 2-terminal devices. Doping / dedoping did not produce very linear / symmetrical change of conductance (potentiation / depotentiation). Claimed 6-month air stability, with 50% relative humidity, but nor carrier mobilities.  Professor Sung-Kyu Lim of USC talked about circuit design and simulation. Foldable Apple iPhone Duo uses 2nm technology, while Huawei uses 7nm technology. China is restricted from advanced 2D fabrication, hence a transition to 3D/stacked systems. His research is into designing algorithms that “fold” a conventional, 2D layered transistor/circuit design, to make them 3D. The design/algorithm needs to align all of the interconnects across the folded layers. A conventional wisdom is that 3D circuits are restricted by a challenge of extreme heating (layer on the bottom is prohibited from “cooling” by the layer on top) and challenges of destructive deposition of consecutive materials (also issues with yield, interconnects, device variability, also testing & repair). However, his claim is that such circuits actually run cooler than 2D designs. Professor Yiran Chen of Duke started by talking about the “motivation” (just like the previous, and the next couple of speakers). His goal, is to build a scalable design of Izhikevich neuron, that exhibits analog behavior with non-linear dynamics. He showed a 26-transistor circuit, with v-block, u-block, and 2 inverters. He then showed a photo of chip, single neuron 18x19μm, with 7 spiking neurons. He showed graphs of individual neuron spiking (likely fabricated, and not simulated). It consumes 0.1-1 pJ/spike, using SkyWater 130nm technology). Professor Kaustav Banerjee of UC Santa Barbara started the talk with presenting a photo from the 12^th Forum held back in 2015. He also talked about the issue of a “memristor” still being a theoretical device, that has not been demonstrated/fabricated (only “resistive switching devices” have been shown to date). He then talked about different types of MOSFET devices / structures & technologies, and how they improve the device performance (effectively reducing channel length). Next, he gave an overview of contact resistance in devices, including 2D materials (semiconductors). Then he alluded to (but did not elaborate on) “beyond Si transistors,” He finished with graphene (intercalated multilayer-graphene interconnects) technology, how it can improve transistor circuit performance. Professor Sanghun Jeon of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology presented his work on development of Si photodiodes for vision applications. Began by describing limitations of PIN diodes. He described the structure and operation of his Polarity Controlled PhotoDiodes (PCPD), which can be optically reconfigured. He showed AH neural circuit being stimulated / driven by his PCPD device. He showed that the amount of current from his PCPDs, controlled by increasing the light intensity, produces spikes at a higher frequency. He also showed a light intensity from an image being converted into spikes. Professor Dhireesha Kudithipudi of UT San Antonio began by showing a video of a squirrel that learns how to walk on a free-suspended string, demonstrating that the animal continues to learn new tasks. Her goal was to develop systems that can continue to learn. She talked, and showed hardware that was designed to continuously learn (adjusts the weight). Because (she claimed) many synaptic devices cannot adjust its states continuously, she designed an algorithm that probabilistically decides if synaptic state needs to be updated. Professor Jiyong Woo of Kyungpook National University began by talking about “here’s the need, and here’s what we need to do next,” Next, he talked about RRAM device performance, and why they are suitable for neuromorphic computing. He showed potentiation / depotentiation, retention, etc. He then showed optimization of traveling salesman problem, and how it can be computed using a conventional ANN, and then RRAM system. His device structure was Nb / Ti (7 nm) / SiO_x (4 nm) / Ti (7 nm) / Nb. Devices were also connected in series with a variable resistor, with resulting variable (“Sigmoidal”) probability of changing the state of the device (and subsequent neural “spikes”). Professor Alper Bozkurt of NCSU presented work on wearable technologies sponsored by NSF, including energy harvesting (piezo, thermoelectrics, mechanical, RF energy, biochemical), also sensors (low power asthma, diabetics and would), electronics, smart textiles, liquid metal interconnects, fabric antennas, and stretchable substrate PCBs. Professor Young Min Song of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology stated that different systems (bio: flies, tigers, elephants; man-made: UAVs, cars, humanoids) have different needs for visual information (monochromatic, wide-field, fast update, lightweight, etc.). He talked about his work on fish-eye-cameras, with curved lenses to focus light from a wide field of view, with a curved surface fit with photo sensors. Cuttle fish live in shallow water, which means that the vision above is very highly illuminated, but the vision below is very muddy. Avian eyes have very dense central sensory areas, but very low density in peripheral regions. He showed a system with a similar design, where a central camera area is highly zoomed, but other areas have very low zoom. Inspired by cat eye, he showed a way to improve accuracy by blurring the background and only keeping in focus the area of interest. Professor Paschalis Gkoupidenis of NCSU talked about known neurotransmitters. Next, bioelectronics, the interaction of bio systems with the world, with electrical and chemical signal transmission in a bio body. He then morphed onto soft matter / soft materials, advances in connectivity, artificial synapses, (bio)sensing, visuo-morphic computing, sensorimotor learning, and invivo sensing. He concentrated on ionically active polymer(s): PEDOT:PSS, how it behaves (electro-chemically), how it can be used for electronics, and sensing. He then discussed lab fabricated Organic Artificial Neurons, devices that behave like artificial neurons. Finally, Professor Kaushik Roy of Purdue talk about algorithms to devices. Example was on application with drone navigation (perception, decision making, etc.), sensor selection (even based cameras vs. conventional cameras), what hardware (analog, digital). The rest of his talk was on the algorithm (ANN, SNN, hybrid).

Poster Session: Professor Matthew Flavin introduced his research on haptic feedback for visual aid enabled by deformable thermal and vibrotactile patterns. Their use in helping spinal cord injury victims were explored. Professor Tingjun Chen presented on his RF neural network research. It is based on edge devices that can receive transmitted model weights and run local inferences using analog computing. Dr. Honggi Jeon discussed his research on control techniques in trapped ion quantum computing. His two ideas were a nearly field-insensitive qutrit system in the metastable manifold of 137 Ba ion, and a same-species sympathetic cooling scheme enabled by lightshift. In the next presentation, Professor Inhee Lee presented millimeter-scale sensing platforms with digital accelerators for convolutional neural networks and dynamic neural fields, driving bio-inspired vision sensing in ultra-small Internet-of-Things devices.  Dr. Wonjae Lee presented her research on negatively-charged boron vacancy defects in hBN flakes that are a few layers thick. Her research explores the spin dynamics of the many-body system. Professor Robert Nawrocki’s presentation introduced his research on artificial spiking neurons based flexible organic electronics. The electrical circuit his team developed mimic the behavior of an Integrate-and-Fire spiking neuron. He demonstrated the encoding of analog output of a chemical sensor into spike frequency. Next, Professor Demitry (Dima) Farfurnik showcased his research on scalable photonic entanglement using quantum dots and cavities. He couples a quantum dot with an integrated cavity of rings. The resulting enhancement of cooperativity could lead to the deterministic entanglement of photons with a high fidelity. Mr. Michael Kuban discussed ab initio study of erbium point defects in 4H-SiC for quantum emitters. He studied various configurations of erbium point defects in the material using computational methods to investigate which configuration is preferred and how they will perform as a single photon emitter. Professor Brittany Smith presented on additive manufacturing for flexible electronics. Her work features submicron resolution printing using capillary flow. She also discussed printed micro actuators and microrobotics. Finally, Professor Bokyung Kim discussed how dataflow changes the energy efficiency in a neuromorphic computing device. In her presentation, a 3D memristive convolution processor and an input-stationary ReRAM architecture show how vertical organization and operand placement can translate device capabilities into scalable neural acceleration. In the 2nd topic, she discussed how conventional memories can provide biomedical intelligence and privacy-preserving learning.

   Continued innovations in semiconductor technology and nanotechnology are intertwined at the fabrication level. However, all technological advances in both areas are still based on underlying basic science. To continue the advances that rely on nanotechnology, we intend to organize the 21^st Forum, tentatively scheduled for sometime in early July, 2027. We intend to make this Forum a satellite session of either Nano Korea 2027 or Quantum Korea 2027 to attract quality presenters and audience. The theme for this Forum will be “Nano Enables Quantum”. We are confident that the 21^st Forum will provide a renewed gateway for innovations in semiconductors, AI, and quantum technology for the future economic development of U.S. and Korean societies.

The following are the detailed recommendations made by the two groups during this Forum:

Group I: Nano/Quantum Technology

   While there have demonstrations of practical quantum technologies outside of the laboratory (e.g., quantum well lasers, quantum dot displays), for the most part, the significant quantum technologies in computing, communication, and sensing are still emerging.

  1.  Why International Collaboration Matters

A.  Quantum as an emerging technology

Quantum technologies for computing, communication, and sensing are emerging.  At this point in time, there is no dominant platform for the three application areas, but there is much uncertainty. For computing, the competing platforms include superconducing qubit technology, trapped-ion qubit technology, neutral atom qubit technology, solid-state spin qubit technology, and photonic qubit technology. There is no clear winner yet. Each is promising in its own way, with advantages and disadvantages.  It is possible that future quantum computing systems may require heterogeneous integration, where a system is constructed from sub-systems from the competing platforms.  Another option is hybrid integration, where a quantum computing platform and a classical computing system are co-designed as a unique computing system that takes advantage of the unique capabilities that each of the two sub-systems possesses.

B.  Quantum Technology is complex and resource-intensive

The fabrication of quantum devices and construction of quantum systems and hence manufacture of related quantum technologies requires advanced and expensive infrastructure.  This is a result of the need for advanced materials, nanofabrication, cryogenics, precision measurement and control.  Quantum technologies require long-term investments in time, resources, and people.  Furthermore, it is interdisciplinary, requiring teams with expertise in quantum physics, materials science, photonics, electrical engineering and computer science.  In many cases, no single academic institution can perform all the required research. International collaboration among institutions and countries is essential.

C.  Quantum technology is a critical strategic technology

Quantum technologies are expected to play a leading role in next-generation information and intelligence technologies. The potential impact is beyond the commercial and industrial arenas.  It is in fact a national security technology. The conundrum of quantum technologies is that they are too complex to develop alone, and yet too strategic to simply depend on other nations.

  2.  Key Discussion Outcomes

A.  A focus beyond qubits: platforms that enable scalable systems and applications

The field has advanced sufficiently that now is the time to seriously contemplate how to use scalable platforms for building complete quantum systems that solve real scientific problems, and also have to be used in other practical technology fields of interest to industry (e.g., drug discovery, business process optimization)

B.  Quantum is a convergence technology

The need to integrate many disparate technologies to build quantum systems delineates it as a convergence technology, where advanced materials, photonics, advanced computing concepts, and AI play a major role.  Progress now and in the future requires expertise beyond the quantum physics, which started the field.  There is an urgent need to bring experts from diverse disciplines into the quantum ecosystem.

C.  Common challenges across different quantum platforms

The various platform technologies that are being explored today increasingly confront common challenges.  Perhaps the most common shared challenge is at the classical-quantum interface, where control and readout of any qubit type is still a significant problem. At the lower level of the technology stack, the shared problems include materials and fabrication challenges, which lead to integration and scalability challenges. At the higher levels of the stack, finding optimal algorithms, and software remain a recurring challenge.   What these set of shared challenges reveal are opportunities for collaboration across traditionally separated quantum technology communities.

D.  Heterogenous and hybrid quantum systems

Future properly functioning quantum systems may depend on two types of system-level integration: heterogenous or hybrid integration. Heterogenous integration would integrate quantum systems based on two or more of the competing qubit platforms.  Hybrid integration would take the view that a one-of-a-kind hybrid computing system can be designed to take advantage of the best attributes of classical and quantum computing to create a more capable and robust system than either technology alone. Either way, there is an increasing need for technologies for (i) quantum transduction, (ii) frequency/wavelength interconversion, (iii) quantum interfaces, and (iv) interconnects. The ability to interface different quantum platforms is likely to become a key enabling technology.

E.  Education and workforce development

The interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary nature of quantum technology demands that the future workforce in this field will need skills that allow individuals to communicate and work across the disciplines of physics, materials science, electrical and mechanical engineering, and computer science.  This requirement is in addition to a need for domain specific knowledge in the application area(s) that the quantum technology is to be used in (e.g., chemistry in drug discovery, computational biology, modeling and simulation for process optimization in business).  These requirements translate into a need for reform of educational programs so that they incorporate the content necessary for acquiring the essential skill set.

  3.  Potential Areas of Joint U.S.-Korea Collaborations

A.  Joint research and development in heterogeneous quantum interfaces

Heterogeneous integration of quantum systems stands out as an area for US-Korea collaboration.  Specifically, work in enabling technologies for quantum repeaters and quantum memory could speed up quantum communication. Other areas that would advance quantum computing are quantum interconnects and quantum transduction. A prototypical collaboration could propose a joint flagship effort targeting key bottlenecks in these areas.

B.  Shared research infrastructure

A feasible area for collaboration is enablement of access to (i) fabrication facilities, (ii) test, measurement, and characterization equipment, and (iii) access to specialized testbeds. The goal in this case would be to identify missing infrastructure and resources that could be jointly developed.

C.  Personnel exchange and training

Educational institutions and research institutes should be encouraged to participate in graduate student exchanges, as well as exchanges of young researchers at the postdoctoral level.  A significant barrier to graduate student exchanges is the large differences in the cost of tuition and living costs. The proposed people exchange is a feasible and practical mechanism for technology co-development.

D.  Transitioning from individual collaboration to institutional partnership

The majority of U.S.-Korea collaborations at this time at based on individual researcher-to-researcher relationships. There exist many opportunities for larger U.S.-Korea connections for building sustainable, long-term, mutually beneficial collaborations through mechanisms that connect (i) laboratory to laboratory, (ii) institution to institution, and (iii) national program to national program.

E.  Shared information platform

Another simple, yet potentially effective mechanism for nurturing collaborations and effective information sharing for the U.S.-Korea quantum community is a platform for disseminating information on available internship and postdoctoral opportunities.  The platform could also be used for sharing available infrastructure or specialized facilities.  The overarching goal of the platform would be to make it easier to find the right people and capabilities for effective U.S.-Korea collaborations.

Group 2: Energy-efficient for Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Neuromorphic Systems

  1.  Scope of Group Topic

Group 2 focused on energy-efficient AI and neuromorphic systems — encompassing the materials, architectures, fabrication techniques, and integration strategies needed to dramatically reduce the energy footprint of AI hardware. Discussion spanned from fundamental materials research through device-level design to system-scale integration with neuromorphic computing serving as a key application domain.

  2.  Most Important Research Areas, in order of urgency

       A.  Materials Innovation

• This was identified as the most pressing gap in the field. Current materials used in neuromorphic systems are insufficient, and the community has moved away from materials research too quickly. Key priorities include:
• Revisiting semiconductor materials including:
• Proton- and ion-based systems, which potentially offer high efficiency gains and long-term retention properties
• Renewed focus on low-dimensional materials as enablers of energy efficiency
• Interfacial challenges between materials including contact resistance and material incompatibility (including inter-layer dispersion for additive manufacturing)
• Scalable fabrication at the sub-micron level with high precision, reproducibility, and low error rates.

B.  Energy-efficient architecture

• Design of hardware architectures optimized for energy efficiency
• Algorithms suited to neuromorphic systems, specifically for spiking neural networks and training (input-to-output mappings)
• Medium- and small-scale integration strategies that combine neuromorphic structures with complementary electronics, sensors, and other components
• Advanced packaging considerations
• Can we make a “brain-like” device (bridge neuro-science and neuromorphic)
• Make a processor (3D truly)
• How to hierarchically structure it for efficient training
• Holistic approach: neuroscientists, material scientists, neuromorphic, architecture, applications

C.   Energy-efficient devices

• Thermal management to prevent performance loss
• Additive manufacturing for fast development and lower cost
• Accelerated testing methodologies to support faster development cycles

D.  Road mapping

• Specific targets and goals for specific applications
• Tie the road map goals to current grand challenges
• Provide guidance on what researchers should focus on to achieve specific applications

E.  Defining applications

• Consider outlining the conversations / forums by end-use or market rather than methodology, some examples include:
• Health (sensors, wearables)
• Autonomous systems (robotics, drones, self-driving cars)
• AI (data centers, communications, productivity, algorithms, memory, processors (potentially using neuromorphics to simplify data processing))

  3.  Enhancing U.S. – Korea Research Collaboration

A.  Forum format improvements

• Extend presentation slots to 25 minutes with 10 minutes of Q&A, followed by a 15–20 minute joint panel discussion at the end of each session
• Add dedicated, informal networking time — a reception (e.g., wine and cheese mixer) to foster organic conversation beyond structured sessions
• Use small high tables during lunch rather than large seated arrangements to encourage discussion (have some seating if wanted)
• Consider running two parallel rooms focused on distinct topics
• Organizing an application session

B.  Funding agencies engagement

• Actively invite program managers from several U.S. and Korean funding agencies to attend and engage — not just observe
• Build dedicated time into the agenda for funders to meet with researchers and companies with the explicit goal of forming collaborative teams and returning with concrete ideas on what they can fund
• Panel discussing current and future funding directions
• Use the forum as an opportunity to develop a roadmap, updated annually, so that the vision remains accessible even to those who cannot attend every year

C.  Industry participation

• Invite small-and medium-sized companies in addition to large industry players, as they can bridge the gap between academia and major corporations
• Encourage industry to share what technologies they have explored and abandoned — and why — so researchers can avoid duplicating effort or can identify gaps worth pursuing (e.g., the graphene/Samsung example)
• Push for industry to share roadmaps of their unresolved challenges so researchers can direct basic research toward filling those gaps

D.  Data sharing infrastructure

• Develop a cloud-based, curated data-sharing platform with standardized formatting and a clear security framework, enabling AI/ML use of shared datasets
• Establish a data strategy and security strategy collaboratively between both countries
• Note: medical and physical data require separate handling protocols

  4.   Forum Name and Scope

• "Quantum" as a standalone addition may be too broad and creates a distinction on the Korean side between nano and quantum research
• Proposed alternatives included: "Nanotechnology for AI and Quantum" (forward-looking), or "Semiconductor and Physical AI"
• A consensus leaned toward a name that captures energy efficiency and future-facing applications without losing the nanotechnology identity
• Any name change must be feasible and acceptable to Korean partners, where the nano/quantum distinction carries institutional significance

Tentative recommendation: Retain "Nanotechnology" as the anchor term while adding language that signals AI and quantum relevance — for example,

Nanotechnology for AI and Quantum Applications