The Philippines is keeping pace with its Southeast Asian neighbors in its pursuit of quantum technology, with current efforts focused on basic research and workforce development, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) on Monday.
“If we compare ourselves to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, or Thailand, we are still at the level,” said Niñaliza H. Escorial, deputy director and executive officer (OIC) of the office of the executive director at DoST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DoST-PCIEERD), said in Filipino in an interview with the agency.
“What the country needs is more infrastructure, but scientifically, we are still at par with our neighboring countries,” he added.
Ms. Escorial said that DoST-PCIEERD, the leading agency for research and development of emerging technologies such as quantum, continues to implement the organization's Quantum Technology Roadmap.
The guide envisions that by 2030, the country will be using quantum technology to drive local innovation and economic growth by “establishing a strong quantum network, developing native quantum simulators, and developing quantum metrology,” DoST-PCIEERD said on its website.
It also envisions positioning the Philippines as a key regional player in quantum technology.
Ms. Escorial said that the organization is currently focused on building the scientific basis for quantum technology, which is expected to be used in real-world applications in the future.
Ms. Escorial said that DoST-PCIEERD is focused on developing talented researchers through partner universities while working to address the infrastructural needs of the country's quantum research community.
Based on the quantum technology roadmap updated on October 9, P150 million is the target budget set for 2026. This aims to support the development of algorithms for quantum networks, the use of quantum cryptography, and the implementation of error-corrected logic qubits with fault-tolerant gates.
DoST-PCIEERD reported that it has two ongoing quantum technology projects, one newly approved project, and one completed project.
Ongoing projects include Quantum-Based Energy Prediction and Development Applied to the Electric Power Grid, with a budget of P18 million from the 2024 appropriation, and STARQE: Quantum Algorithms Development for E-Vehicle and Renewable Energy Infrastructure Planning, with a budget of nearly P8 million from the 2025 appropriation.
Meanwhile, recently approved and completed projects include the Fabrication and Fabrication of Photonic Integrated Circuits for Hybrid Quantum Computing (HyQ-PICs), allocated P24 million from the 2025 budget, and the Quantum Innovation Laboratory, respectively.
Among the important use cases of quantum technology are rapid weather forecasting and applications in the financial sector, said Ms. Escorial.
He expressed his hope that quantum technology will have use cases by 2028, according to the road map.
“Right now, all our roads are ending by 2028. So I hope that by 2028, we will have something useful,” said Ms. Escorial. – Edg Adrian A. Eva
