This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 11, 2024 - March 17, 2024

The progress being made in quantum computing over the last few years has been incredible: devices with hundreds of qubits, meaning access and open-source software so anyone can program them. Last year, our team at IBM alongside colleagues at University of California, Berkeley published a demonstration of “quantum utility” in the scientific journal, Nature.

Quantum utility describes a point at which quantum computers could serve as scientific tools to explore a new scale of problems beyond brute force classical simulation of quantum mechanics. Organisations around the world have taken notice and started publishing their own experiments towards achieving quantum utility. This progress could soon disrupt business models and redefine entire industries.

For example, in 2023 scientists from the University of Cologne and Harvard University, and IBM set out to efficiently prepare highly entangled quantum states across many qubits. Their unique approach, using the utility-scale “Eagle” processor, allowed for a profound condensed matter physics result to pop out for free: a natural way to study a ubiquitous phase transition that occurs in magnetic systems.

This and a number of other demonstrations are showing that advances in both device quality and new capabilities are allowing us to explore more challenging circuits incorporating quantum and classical working together to extend the reach of the systems.

Against this backdrop, organisations across a wide variety of industries need to establish strategies and investments in quantum.

First movers are already experimenting in domains such as chemical modelling, scenario simulation, optimisation and artificial intelligence. These are areas where we believe that quantum computing has the potential to tackle some of today’s hardest computational challenges the soonest.

For examples of real-world progress, Cleveland Clinic is using quantum computers to explore the JAK1 protein — a large and complex molecule that, if better understood, could unlock new discoveries for more effective therapeutics across several different diseases.

JSR Corp, a chemicals company in Japan, is tapping into quantum computing to explore how the semiconductor industry could benefit from the discovery of more efficient and sustainable materials for photoresist solutions — the precision instruments critical to manufacturing microchips.

And in an effort understand the physics that sews the universe together, researchers at CERN and DESY are using machine learning to try and identify the best-suited quantum calculations for identification and reconstruction algorithms for particle collision events, and the investigation of theoretical models for high energy physics.

“Optimisation” is a broad category that applies to diverse industries: For example, energy company E.ON is using quantum computing to find a more effective way to analyse weather-related risk, while financial institution Wells Fargo is investigating the problem of sequence modelling for predicting asset prices.

The preparation for tomorrow’s quantum computing is happening between global academic-industry collaborations. Scientists at IBM are working with the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago on a 10-year, US$100 million (RM475 million) initiative to develop a quantum-centric supercomputer capable of running a billion gates on 2,000 logical qubits.

Think of quantum-centric supercomputing as an entirely new — and as of now, unrealised — era of high-performance computing. Such a system with modular architecture, capable of scaling to thousands of qubits and of exceeding the current capabilities of existing physical electronics, would serve as a foundation to address some of the world’s most pressing problems that even the most advanced supercomputers of today may never be able to solve.

Continuing to unlock quantum computing’s full potential won’t be possible, though, without a focus on skills and workforce development. In a recent example of an effort to close the quantum skills gap, Keio University, the University of Tokyo, Yonsei University, Seoul National University, the University of Chicago, and IBM announced a 10-year collaboration to prepare at least 40,000 students in Japan, South Korea and the US for the future quantum workforce.

All parties involved intend to create quantum education materials for educators from disciplines across science and technology, such as physics, computer science, engineering, math, life sciences and chemistry departments. That content will also include a robust quantum curriculum to help teach the next generation of quantum computing educators through training, course material development and community-driven educational events such as mentorships, joint summer programmes, exchange programmes and distinguished lecture programmes.

Even before the announcement of this education collaboration, our team has been trying to make quantum as accessible as possible. As at end-2023, more than 190 universities across Asia-Pacific are teaching quantum computing through access to IBM quantum hardware and use of the open-source Qiskit software. The number of learners in the region using IBM-developed quantum education materials is at almost two million. And Asia-Pacific also stands out as having the most certified IBM Quantum Developers in the world at 389 (IBM developed the first quantum developer certification) — more than the 296 in Europe, and the 295 in the US.

A strong connection across government, academic and industry investment is key to accelerating workforce training across three areas: quantum computing’s “road map to value” for decision-makers; quantum algorithms and their application to real-life use cases for domain experts; and industry-focused technical skills, more broadly.

Alongside this pursuit of quantum applications that deliver scientific and business advantage, governments and organisations must also begin transitioning the security that protects their classical data and systems to quantum-safe cryptography.

A cryptographically relevant quantum computer is years away. But it can take years to assess current infrastructure, and deploy new cryptography solutions. The good news is that quantum-safe technologies exist today and new standards are expected to be published in 2024. It’s the perfect time for chief information officers and chief information security officers to address their need to migrate their organisations to quantum-safe cryptography.

The transformational potential of quantum is evident. And as we look ahead to the technology on this year’s road map of milestones, our next Heron processor will continue to improve in quality, and reach 5,000 gates — the core components of the quantum circuits that make up quantum programs. This will give us the ability to run longer quantum circuits more accurately than we can on today’s Heron and Eagle processors.

Well before 2024, IBM pronounced that the industry had entered the “Quantum Decade” — an era when organisations would begin to see quantum computing as a tool to deliver scientific and business value.

What we can accomplish this year with utility-scale quantum computers will further accelerate the progress towards the development of practical applications. Soon, we hope that the community will demonstrate quantum advantage, when quantum in combination with classical computers can outperform the use of classical computers alone in a meaningful task. But it will also increase the demand for hardware, software and interdisciplinary quantum talent. Any enterprise leader who isn’t actively building quantum into their plans risks being left behind.

Scott Crowder is vice-president of adoption and business development at IBM Quantum

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