The quantum revolution

Welcome to this special issue celebrating the rise of quantum technologies

It’s hard enough to get your head around the physics behind quantum superposition and entanglement. What’s even more mind-boggling is that these fundamental phenomena are spawning technologies that could, according to one estimate by Honeywell, be worth $1 trillion over the next three decades. Now that’s what I call big business. 

Sure, there’s a lot of hype when it comes to quantum computing, communication and cryptography. But we’re in the wild west of quantum tech and everyone’s fighting to make their mark. Start-ups, research groups and established businesses are all seeking to pull in investment so is there any harm with a bit of over-exaggeration to stand out from the crowd?

To guide you through the quantum marketplace, Philip Ball talks to researchers, business analysts and insiders at firms ranging from IBM to IonQ (“Setting the scene for a quantum marketplace”). Quantum computers – even IBM’s brand new 127-qubit device – might not be especially fast right now and companies are often investing only to gain a head start. Security (“The key to our quantum future”) and scale-up (“Quantum for all – building a firm foundation”) will be vital too. Still, if you’re looking for a job, there are lots of juicy openings in the quantum sector, as careers editor Laura Hiscott reports (“How to get ahead in quantum tech”).

Elsewhere, Michael Allen examines the commercial potential of quantum gravity sensors (“Sensing gravity, the quantum way”), while James McKenzie hot foots it back from a quantum tech showcase that took place in London last month (“Towards quantum 2.0”). And if you need a guide to quantum computing to prime any wannabe investor, Hamish Johnston has the perfect book for you (“Quantum physics for investors”).

These are exciting times for quantum tech and we can rightly celebrate a burgeoning economic success story based on seemingly esoteric, fundamental physics. But a note of a caution comes from Yangyang Cheng (“The quantum battleground”) and Mauritz Kop (“Ethics in the quantum age”). Like all applications of science, they remind us, quantum tech has an ethical dimension we must not forget.