Opening Quantum for the Benefit of Humanity

In 2019, Google used a computer with 54 quantum bits, or qubits, to perform a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world's most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years to complete. The answers had little practical use, but it marked a major inflection point in the development of quantum technology.

Over the next decade, quantum computers that can turbocharge the search for new materials and drugs will become a reality. So will quantum communication networks with uncrackable encryption and quantum sensors providing ultra-precise measurements in medicine, Earth sciences and positioning systems. The strategic potential of this new quantum infrastructure will require global co-ordination to both ensure and control access to it, so that its opportunities are open to everyone, and its applications are beneficial to all.

What intractable problems could quantum computers help to solve?
What is the best way to help policymakers understand quantum technology, so they are better prepared to take advantage of quantum advances and to make sensible and forward looking decisions?
How can we make sure the benefits of quantum technology applications are open to all?

Takeaway messages

“Quantum computing is a revolution long in the making: at least 30 years of research by a large fundamental research community. It is a total game-changer with over $22 billion invested worldwide by governments by 2021, prompting international competition fuelled by fear and hype. ”

“Not enough young people are being trained to work on quantum, which is creating hiring challenges for all sorts of jobs due to a huge skills gap. Governments with money to hire young talent could put them to work on military and less desirable uses. ”

“Quantum computing, though complicated, can be taught earlier than at university: it could be introduced to high school students or even at an earlier age, so kids get an innate sense of it. ”

“A hybrid organisation for quantum could guarantee safe access to and use of critical quantum infrastructures for communication and computing. ”

“Quantum can change chemistry and material science and help us predict the properties of materials accurately. It could let us design a catalyst for negative carbon fixation for global warming. ”

“More collaborative projects and the sort of cooperation that GESDA espouses will be essential, because building a quantum system is complex and there is a need to steer research towards beneficial applications that are not only focused on economic, geopolitical or military advantages. ”

“Sharing information and data are important because knowledge and education are capacity-building and empowering tools that can reduce inequities across the world. ”

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