Recently we noted that quantum computing is still five to ten years away according to analysts at Deloitte. But while production use is still a ways off in the future, we are already seeing positive developments. Both Google and IBM made headlines even more recently in an article by The Financial Times in which they say they will have fully operational quantum computers in place by 2029.

Notably, both companies have made gains in error correction, something detailed more specifically within papers in the Journal Nature by Google and IBM. Error correction, of course, is one of the many issues which will need to be overcome if quantum computing is to be used in the real world.

At Atombeam, the general consensus is that innovators in the quantum computing arena will get there. The issues they face are not insurmountable, but will require many brilliant people to overcome numerous challenges to make quantum computers ready for primetime.

And even when those challenges are addressed, the shift to quantum computing will not be immediate or as straightforward as simply throwing a switch. That is one of the reasons why, as any researcher will agree, we cannot we build our infrastructure around the hope that advancements in a singular area or discipline will address all of the challenges we face, or enable us to realize our aspirations for using even greater computing power to solve important problems – whether it’s the creation of new medicines or the ability to unlock new insights on food production, energy usage and other important issues shaping the human experience.

This is particularly true when it comes to developments in areas like AI. While there is no definitive answer right now, it is widely believed – and most of us at Atombeam agree – that the race to realize the full potential of AI represents a quantum computing problem the world is currently struggling to address with traditional computing capabilities. But regardless, one thing is certain: No one breakthrough, quantum computing or otherwise, will address all of the infrastructure demands we face today or will face tomorrow. 

Nor will quantum computing be ideal for all workloads or all applications. That is why we are so enthusiastic at Atombeam not only about the ground-breaking innovations occurring in quantum computing, but also about our own contributions to innovation. 

We believe the ability to radically increase available bandwidth, decrease latency and increase the inherent security of data without the capital-intensive upending of existing networks our Data-as-Codewords technology makes possible proves in real-world deployments of Neurpac is a game changer. We are also motivated by the proven ability of Neurcom to dramatically enhance the capabilities of video and audio codecs, and believe our Persistent Cognitive Machine (PCM) has the potential to fundamentally upend how AI is used and the economics involved.