The age of the “useful” quantum computer is fast approaching, promising to supercharge the computing power we have available to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems. This could include drug and medicine discovery or tackling global warming.
From a business point of view, they’ll also make it possible to accelerate and innovate in many fields impacted by the speed of calculations, including delivery and logistics, anything involving simulating the real world, and artificial intelligence.
So, if they’re so amazing, why aren’t we all using them already? Well, the fact is that there are still some pretty big challenges that have to be overcome before quantum computing is likely to gain the momentum it needs in order to change the world.
These range from the highly challenging and technical to the just-as-challenging down-to-earth matters involving society, security and privacy.
So, here’s an overview of the big issues that quantum computing is currently trying to overcome, as well as a look at what tackling them could mean to businesses attempting to time their entry.
Technical Challenges
Processing qubits—the compute units of quantum computers—that exist in thousands of states simultaneously (unlike the binary ones and zeros of classical computing) involves some seriously bleeding-edge technology.
Probably the biggest challenge is still keeping qubits in a stable state. They are incredibly fragile and usually only remain in the correct state for microseconds before they are disturbed by heat, vibration or electromagnetic fields.
Today, solutions include keeping them super-chilled to temperatures very close to absolute zero, and housing individual ions in vacuum chambers where their state can be read by lasers. Both require equipment that can’t be shipped next-day on Prime.
Another problem is simply the volume of qubits that are needed; today’s typical quantum computers generally have between 50 and 200 physical qubits, with IBM’s Condor (currently the largest) stretching that to over 1,000. Expert predictions on the number of qubits needed for truly useful quantum computing range from 10,000 to over 13 million.
And then there’s the pretty big problem that there simply isn’t much software available for quantum computers yet. The majority of apps, tools and frameworks that do exist have all been created for specific purposes. So, anyone wanting to put it to work in innovative use cases has the expense of developing their own software and infrastructure to consider.
So once those developing quantum computers are able to stabilize qubits, scale the number of qubits and offer a diverse set of tools, frameworks and applications, the path will be clear for businesses to start putting it to commercial use, right?
Well, not quite, because there are challenges that go beyond the purely technological to consider, too.
The Bigger Picture
Some of the biggest obstacles are posed by issues related to society and culture, and don’t take it for granted that they will be solved by technology alone.
To start with, there’s a big problem around skills. Analysts at McKinsey estimate that there were three quantum computing job vacancies for every one qualified applicant in 2024. As fast as they graduate, newly qualified professionals are being snapped up by the hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft as they race against each other.
While we can expect the number of quantum-skilled graduates to increase, being forced to wait for the laws of supply and demand to catch up with reality could have consequences for small and medium-sized businesses planning on becoming first-movers.
This leads on to another societal challenge—addressing the issue of technological inequality and deprivation.
With quantum computers being hugely expensive and difficult to operate, the risk is that their power is monopolized by corporations, well-funded research groups and governments.
This could result in those with fewer resources missing out on the benefits, by blocking smaller businesses from competing before the race has even started.
Another factor is that adopting quantum computing will mean large-scale infrastructure changes for many businesses. No one believes quantum computers will replace “classical” computers completely for some time, but businesses will still need to make big investments in infrastructure to benefit from the opportunities that are there. Even in fields where the quantum advantage is significant, there could be cultural resistance due to the scale of change required.
And one more issue that can’t be overlooked is the security implications. It’s already believed that quantum computers will be powerful enough to break some of today’s toughest digital encryption. This is encryption that could be protecting state security as well as the privacy of millions of us as individuals.
Today’s 1,000 qubit computers won’t do it, but tomorrow’s one million qubit machines probably will. Which means society needs fixes and safeguards in place before powerful quantum computers can become widely available.
Is AI The Solution?
Quantum computing is expected to have a significant impact on the field of AI, both in research and development, where it will help to train models more quickly, and in operational use.
Common algorithmic functions like Monte-Carlo sampling, which are widely used in AI as well as general computing, can be vastly accelerated with quantum computers, as can the linear algebra powering deep learning routines.
AI’s “smartness” can be considered as a function of the volume of data it’s trained on, and the amount of compute power it can access. Quantum computing could boost both of these factors considerably.
At the same time, AI can, in theory, help us make bigger, better quantum processors. Reinforcement learning, a core AI technique, is already used to optimize the timing of microwave pulses used to stabilize qubits. Foundation models are being used to propose new candidates for superconducting or photonic compounds that can be used to build more powerful quantum machines.
So this symbiosis of quantum and AI could be the key to overcoming the technical hurdles impeding the quantum revolution.
The fact is, though, that the technology problems blocking adoption are likely to be solved eventually, one way or another.
But for businesses wanting to act fast in order to capitalize on the huge opportunities, the focus should be on tackling the societal and cultural challenges. These are problems that can be solved by organizations without needing Google or IBM-sized pockets, and will prove equally critical to quantum success in the long term.
