FEATURE
delivering transformational value are still at least five years away. But that timeline is shrinking.
Use cases: From promise to progress
Quantum computing’ s potential spans a wide range of applications, but progress is uneven across domains.
Optimisation and search are emerging as early leaders. The report says these problems – common in logistics, finance and manufacturing – are well-suited to quantum approaches.
Quantum simulation is another area of advancement, the report says. Hybrid workflows can now model chemical reactions, materials and biological systems with increasing accuracy.
Quantum machine learning remains in an earlier stage. The report says fully quantum models face significant technical hurdles, although quantum-inspired techniques are already delivering practical benefits.
Across all these areas, a common pattern is emerging: incremental value today, transformational value tomorrow.
The looming security crisis
If quantum computing’ s opportunities are compelling, its risks are urgent.
Modern digital security relies heavily on publickey cryptography, including widely used standards like RSA. These systems are secure against classical attacks – but vulnerable to sufficiently powerful quantum computers.
The report says this is no longer a long-term concern. Research suggests a quantum computer with around 1,399 logical qubits could break RSA encryption in under a week.
The report says consensus is shifting toward a sobering conclusion: Q-Day could arrive by 2030.
The report says adversaries are already believed to be harvesting encrypted data today, with the intention of decrypting it in the future.
For organisations, the message is clear: waiting is not an option.
Preparing for a quantum future
As quantum computing moves from theory to practice, enterprises face a dual challenge: capturing its benefits while mitigating its risks.
The report identifies the first priority as quantumsafe security. Organisations must begin transitioning to post-quantum cryptography – especially for high-value data.
The second priority is experimentation. Hybrid quantum-classical systems offer a practical entry point for organisations to build expertise and explore use cases.
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