SINGAPORE, 27 October 2026 — QpiAI, a leader in full-stack quantum computing and AI integration, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Singapore Management University (“SMU”). Marking QpiAI’s strategic expansion into Singapore, this two-year collaboration aims to accelerate quantum computing adoption, joint research, and commercialisation across Singapore, Asia, and global markets.
This partnership is unique as it seeks to bridge the gap between quantum computing research to practical business applications, with a focus on fintech, capital markets, and smart city operations. It will give SMU access to QpiAI’s full-stack architecture, spanning quantum processing unit (QPU) hardware, quantum-AI middleware, and application layer tools. SMU researchers will collaborate with business leaders and use these capabilities to explore solutions to complex industry problems and assess their potential for commercial deployment.
Through this MOU, SMU becomes the first Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) to partner with QpiAI in Singapore and gain direct access to its full-stack quantum infrastructure. SMU researchers and students will be able to use QpiAI’s Kaveri 64-qubit quantum computer and the QpiAI QCloud platform to develop and test industry applications. In Bengaluru, India, where QpiAI is headquartered, its full-stack quantum infrastructure is already integrated with classical High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters, and the company is onboarding major global business partners onto their Quantum Computer-as-a-Service (QCaaS) model.
This partnership is crucial because access to physical quantum computers remains limited in Singapore. By giving SMU researchers and students direct access to both quantum hardware and cloud-based development tools, the partnership creates opportunities for hands-on experimentation and industry-focused innovation that would otherwise be difficult and costly to explore.
Said Professor Tan Ah Hwee, Dean of SMU's School of Computing and Information Systems: "Direct access to QpiAI's 64-qubit quantum processing unit and integrated cloud platform significantly expands the quantum computing resources available to SMU's researchers and students. It enables them to develop and test quantum algorithms, hybrid quantum-classical optimisation techniques, and post-quantum cybersecurity applications on physical quantum hardware within a unified environment. Equally importantly, QpiAI's software tools lower the barrier to entry for users beyond quantum specialists, enabling students from disciplines such as business, finance, engineering, and computing to explore and prototype quantum-enabled solutions to real-world problems."
A talent pipeline for banking and financial services
In banking and financial services, quantum approaches are already being investigated for computationally demanding problems, including the Monte Carlo simulation, a widely used technique in financial derivative pricing, and rare-event and tail-risk estimation.
Financial institutions also need quantum-safe cybersecurity to protect against attacks from quantum computers, noted SMU Professor Paul Griffin, who conducts research on financial technology, quantum algorithms, and quantitative risk modelling.
Professor Griffin said: “This partnership with QpiAI will help us build a talent pipeline to address these challenges. Our financial industry needs more quantum applications and quantum-safe engineers to address cybersecurity risks and migration to a post-quantum age. These new practitioners sit at the intersections of quantum computing, cybersecurity and industry. Well-versed in quantum principles, they are also equally comfortable with data science and optimisation, or cybersecurity, cryptography, along with cloud computing and conventional high-performance computing.”
Dr Nagendra Nagaraja, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of QpiAI said: “Singapore is a key hub in Asia, where major industries like Finance and Logistics come together with research, making SMU an ideal partner for us. By giving SMU's researchers and students direct access to Kaveri and QCloud, we want to move quantum computing from the lab to addressing real problems in banking, risk and urban systems, and build the talent that will carry that work forward. Partnerships like this reflect the growing deep-tech bridge between India and Singapore."
Key Pillars of Collaboration
The alliance combines QpiAI’s vertically integrated quantum hardware, software, and AI platform with SMU’s world-class academic research capabilities and industry-oriented innovation ecosystem.
Under the MOU, QpiAI and SMU will work together across four core focus areas:
- Financial & Industry Applications: Developing enterprise-grade quantum solutions for financial services, fintech, smart cities, urban systems, and supply chain logistics.
- Advanced Quantum-AI Research: Co-developing novel quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning models, post-quantum cryptography, and quantum-safe security protocols.
- Talent Development & Education: Nurturing Singapore’s quantum workforce through joint training programmes, professional certifications, hands-on QCloud access, and specialised workshops.
- Innovation Ecosystem Expansion: Collaborating on startup support, academic research engagement, and participation in strategic national and international quantum programmes.
This MOU will support SMU’s research in two areas with potential for significant business value. First, in financial technology and banking, SMU will explore applications in real-time fraud detection, portfolio optimisation, and risk management. Second, in the area of operations and supply chain management, SMU will focus on complex route optimisation, resource allocation across multiple agents, and smart urban mobility planning.
Both parties will also explore opportunities to co-develop executive education and continuing education and training (CET) modules in Quantum AI for Finance, alongside no-code labs that enable participants to develop and test business applications.
Cody Kamin, the Head of Singapore for QpiAI, said: “Our goal in Singapore is simple: make quantum computing useful for business and build the talent pipeline needed to drive industry adoption. SMU's strength in finance, logistics, and urban systems makes it the right partner to start with. Together, we'll give students, researchers, and enterprises the hands-on access they need to build real applications. This is the key to realising the billions of dollars in new economic growth that quantum is forecasted to unlock.”
Aligning National & Bilateral Deep-Tech Priorities
This alliance directly supports Singapore’s National Quantum Strategy overseen by the National Quantum Office (NQO), advancing its core thrusts in scientific excellence, enterprise partnerships, and quantum talent development. Furthermore, the MOU highlights the growing deep-tech corridor between Singapore and India. By bringing together Indian deep-tech innovation—supported by India's National Quantum Mission—and Singapore’s world-class research and financial infrastructure, the partnership exemplifies bilateral cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.