The Quantum-Equipped Cloud
Practical quantum computing is yet to be fully realized, but organizations can already experiment with the technology in the cloud
By Andrew Wig
The Quantum-Equipped Cloud
Practical quantum computing is yet to be fully realized, but organizations can already experiment with the technology in the cloud
By Andrew Wig
Decision makers in tech are contending with a two-headed monster as they work to stay ahead of the curve. Just as they start to get a handle on what AI can do for their organizations, another major disruptor is taking shape on the horizon.
The ongoing development of quantum computing marks a new paradigm in data processing, leveraging the nature of the qubit to realize exponential gains over classical computing. While the technology isn’t ready for practical use just yet, organizations are already preparing to take advantage of it. Due to their infrastructure requirements, owning and operating a quantum computer is only feasible for the most privileged of institutions, but others can still access one—thanks to the cloud.
Laying the Groundwork
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Screening larger and more complex molecules and better mapping interactions between a drug and its target
Finance:
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Improving decision-making and the speed and accuracy of operations
Combating Climate Change:
⟶
Reducing emissions by enabling more robust solutions for carbon capture and storage
Material Sciences:
⟶
Inventing new materials and predicting corrosion
Chemistry:
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Developing synthetic data sets to train AI models for chemistry research
Sources: Boston Consulting Group and James Cruise (Quantum Consultants)
“It's really about experimentation at the moment,” James Cruise, head of quantum algorithms for Cambridge Consultants, says of the ways organizations are using quantum computing in the cloud.
But he expects that experimentation to yield results before long. Cruise predicts that by the end of the decade, the technology will begin to present value cases, such as the invention of new materials that would not have been possible without quantum computing.
The domains of material sciences and chemistry will be the first movers, Cruise believes. For instance, Cambridge Consulting is working with Airbus to find a way of better predicting aluminum corrosion, something that Cruise says is difficult to model with classical computing.
Once puzzles like that are solved, the next challenge is to derive business value from the solutions. For organizations planning to take advantage of quantum computing, the fundamental question is, “How does quantum computing unlock a calculation which then they can use in a bigger value chain?” Cruise says.
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Quantum-Classical Synergy
As value chains for quantum computing are established, classical computing will continue to play a role. In fact, it’s best to think of quantum computers as accelerators that will be used for particular tasks alongside classical computers, Cruise says. While quantum computers can do things that classical computers can’t, they are more error-prone and inferior at some tasks, like arithmetic, he explains.
The two technologies therefore have a complementary relationship, and unlocking the value of that quantum-classical synergy is where the cloud could play an important role, according to Cruise. “The cloud allows a really exciting way of enabling that classical-with-quantum workflow,” he says. “And that's why cloud is likely to be the most prominent use case going forward.”
Just go to the cloud and give something a whirl.
—Kyle Charlet, IBM Fellow and CTO, IBM Z software
The Cloud as a Sandbox
While quantum computing has not reached a state of practicality, quantum cloud computing platforms are already being offered by the likes of IBM, Amazon and Microsoft. This kind of early access to emerging technologies is part of the cloud’s appeal, notes Kyle Charlet, IBM Fellow and CTO, IBM Z software. After all, the cloud is how most organizations access the ever-expanding variety of AI products on offer.
The cloud provides the opportunity “to really try something out right away without needing to deal with all the on-prem installation, configuration, procurement, all that kind of stuff. Just go straight to cloud and give something a whirl,” Charlet says.
He adds that the cloud can also serve as a technological accelerant by enabling rapid client feedback, contributing to faster improvements. Likewise, quantum computing may also enable advancements in other technologies. In one such example, Cambridge Consulting has explored how quantum computing can enable synthetic data sets that can be used to train AI models for chemistry research—a particularly exciting use case, Cruise says, because “simulating chemistry is hard.”
‘Very Fickle Devices’
The field of quantum computing still has its own hard problems to solve, chief among them reducing computational errors. “Quantum computers are very fickle devices,” Cruise says.
Due to the nature of classical computers, error-correction is built in. But the foundational component of quantum computing, the qubit, “wants to interact with everything in general,” making it prone to changes in state and leading to inaccurate outcomes, Cruise explains.
Efforts to prevent those interactions include the use of vacuums, lasers and cooling equipment that can lower the temperature to a microkelvin, just above absolute zero, the lowest temperature theoretically possible.
IBM recently unveiled a roadmap for solving the error problem by 2029, announcing plans to build the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. To achieve fault-tolerance, IBM Quantum Starling will leverage “logical qubits”—clusters of physical qubits that monitor each other for errors.
IBM’s Roadmap to Fault-Tolerance
(expected 2025)
(expected 2026)
(expected 2027)
(expected 2029)
Source: IBM
New Capabilities, New Threats
When quantum computing becomes practical, it will also present new dangers by giving bad actors the power to break encryption that is currently unbreakable with classical computing. “All of the 128 (bit) or 256 (bit) encryption stuff out there is now at risk,” says Chris McReynolds, Kyndryl’s global head of offerings for network and edge.
As organizations get ready for post-quantum security threats, they know cybercriminals are making their own preparations. While bad actors may not be able to break current encryption, they can attempt to harvest the data now, biding their time until quantum computing is capable of breaking the cryptography—a strategy called “harvest now, decrypt later.”
Quantum-safe cryptography (also known as post-quantum cryptography) is one area where IBM is promising advances with the new Power11 system, expected to arrive this year. Another proactive defense measure associated with quantum-safe networks is quantum key distribution, a cryptographic protocol that uses quantum mechanics to securely generate and exchange encryption keys.
These measures are being deployed as security professionals count down to Y2Q, the theoretical point in the future when quantum computers will be able to break current encryption. “When people are refreshing their infrastructure or their connectivity, they're actually getting ahead of that future issue,” McReynolds says. “Even if it's several years down the road, they have to be planning for it now. It's a really, really impactful change for those customers.”
The post-quantum threat: “Even if it's a couple years down the road, they have to be planning for it now. It's a really, really impactful change for those customers.”
—Chris McReynolds, global head of offerings for network and edge, Kyndryl
The Curious Qubit
The physics of quantum mechanics can seem alien. Unlike bits, qubits can be either a 1 or a 0 until measured, a phenomenon known as superposition. Another perplexing principle at play in quantum computing is the concept of entanglement, in which the state of one qubit can be linked to the state of another, no matter the distance between them.
But don’t worry, Cruise says: “You don't need to understand how a quantum computer works; you need to know what its capability will deliver.”
