[INTERVIEW] Finland seeks cooperation in next-gen IT technology

Diplomacy

Published: 30 Jan. 2023, 19:35 Updated: 13 Feb. 2023, 16:24

[INTERVIEW] Finland seeks cooperation in next-gen IT technology

Timo Harakka, minister of transport and communications of Finland, speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Finnish Embassy in Seoul on Monday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Finland brought to Seoul this week a business delegation on quantum technology, space security and next-generation communication networks, often dubbed the nuclear weapons of the tech world.

Leading the delegation, Timo Harakka, minister of transport and communications, summed up their objectives in Seoul as “the mission of the future.”

“Finland is looking forward to having a 50-qubit quantum computer in some phase during this year or the next in Finland, and we would very much like to see Korea among countries that would collaborate with our companies,” said Harakka, speaking with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Finnish Embassy in Seoul on Monday.

Traveling with Harakka were representatives of IQM Quantum Computers, Nokia, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Kuva Space, Bluefors, Wirepas and more.

“IQM foresees a long-term partnership with Korea to develop the National Quantum program, in areas including chip design, fabrication, building quantum accelerators for supercomputing centers and joint research for the future,” said Jani Heikkinen, head of business development at IQM Quantum Computers.

“Korea's world class manufacturing expertise, supply chain and R&D organizations complement IQM's expertise areas like developing processors, full stack quantum integration and developing hybrid algorithms.”

Harakka and the delegation visited the Samsung Research Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Monday, and met with local government authorities including the mayor of Busan to discuss smart port systems and net-zero solutions in transport logistics. Harakka was scheduled to meet with the ministers of land, infrastructure and transport, science and ICT and trade, industry and energy, before concluding his trip on Tuesday.

To make more sense of the where Finland and Korea may stand in the race for next-generation technology in an increasingly deglobalized world, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Harakka. The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

Usually, ministerial trips themed on technology involves several stops in East Asia, such as Korea and Taiwan. What are the main objectives of this visit from Finland to focus only on Korea?

Korea is such a manifoldly advanced country in tech, that I think it’s [already] quite a handful for our companies to handle within one visit. There’s so many governmental institutions and private companies to meet and to talk to. We have brought a fantastic business delegation with a focus on three subjects: 6G, quantum and space. It only makes sense to collaborate on these cutting-edge technologies with another great tech country, South Korea.

Korea was the first country to roll out 5G and Finland No.2. We already have 85 percent of our population covered by 5G, and have a leading role in Europe on 6G with our Hexa-X vision led by Nokia at the European Union. Finland also has a vibrant ecosystem on quantum technology, attracting talents and companies from other countries. Finland is looking forward to having a 50-qubit quantum computer in some phase during this year or the next in Finland, and we would very much like to see Korea among countries that would collaborate with our companies.

There are increasing concerns about quantum-based hacking and increased militarization in the online space. What are your thoughts?

There is a geopolitical and geo-economical reality that’s very different from the heyday of globalization. We are living in an age of deglobalization, which continuously reflects onto technology, which certainly is one part of self-governance, self-sufficiency and autonomy for each and every country. After the brutal attacks by Russians, I think it is really very pertinent to democratic Asia, democratic Europe and democratic America to work together in technology.

Where is Finland headed with its technology for space security in the context of rapid militarization of space?

I think that that militarization of space needs to be handled, ideally, with international agreements. And an entirely different matter is the civil use of so-called new space technology that brings Finland and Korea, neither of which are traditional space countries, to play. This is particularly where we talk about affordable, low-earth orbit satellites. We are very much looking forward to seeing whether there'd be deepening collaboration with Korean partners in this area as well.

Your visit to Korea coincides with its first day of doing away with its indoor mask mandate. How do you assess the technological leaps that were in a way aided by the pandemic, and what do you think should be next agenda for governments to prepare their constituents for life-changing technological advancements?

There was a big uptick on technology [due to the pandemic] but the societal consequences were two-fold. It was positive in the sense that in some cases, senior members of the families were aided by technology to be cared closely by their dear ones. There were also positive advances made in Finland in e-learning. But being away from school at the tender age for some young people has also produced mental health issues. One cannot undermine the negative, or even tragic, effects of the pandemic. There are always choices to be made in technological issues, which are not just technological but are also societal and political. There must be political discussion on what kind of society our technological choices reflect, and to which direction our technologies are guiding the polity.

Can you tell us, as a representative of the Finnish government, what’s next for the Finnish and Swedish bid to join NATO, in the context of recent vetoes by Turkey? What’s the possibility that both are NATO members by the time of its next summit in July?

Finland and Sweden have made applications at the same time together for similar reasons. Both countries joining NATO at the same time would mean all the Nordics are in NATO. [The alliance] as a whole has seen Finland and Sweden both as very desirable members of the organization, that's why the ratification has been very smooth and very swift to this point, and it really is the issue of coherence of NATO itself. It’s really difficult to say anything about the timetable, but we expect progress after Turkey’s election.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]