Quantum awakening

Just as organizations are racing to embed artificial intelligence into their operations, another technological tsunami is gathering force. While businesses grapple with AI, quantum computing – a new approach that is faster and infinitely more powerful than what we have today - is gradually moving out of the research labs into commercial reality.

Already in 2025, major breakthroughs in the quantum computing space suggest that the technology's transformative potential could arrive sooner than expected. Microsoft's February announcement of its Majorana 1 chip was followed by D-Wave's claim of achieving "quantum supremacy" in March, while Cisco recently unveiled an entanglement chip that it says could accelerate practical quantum computing by a decade.

These developments, alongside IBM's commitment of $30 billion to advance quantum manufacturing, highlight a race between different technical approaches that is intensifying. Companies are pursuing various paths from superconducting circuits to light-based systems. After decades of research, Microsoft has had a breakthrough with an approach based on “topological architecture,” which promises better error resistance – a crucial hurdle to overcome before quantum systems can achieve scale.

Quantum will be more impactful than the Internet and AI... In 1959 who was thinking of the Internet? We have that chance all over again.

Whurley, speaking at SXSW 2025

Tech entrepreneur & investor

But the key question is when will quantum computing emerge from R&D to deliver practical or commercial value? The timeline debate rages on. "It's not multiple decades away," says Karthee Madasamy, an early quantum investor. "It's actually a few years away." Yet others urge caution. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia maintains it is still a far future technology, and Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave notes, while recent breakthroughs are significant, they're "just a proof of concept widening" of what's possible.

What's often overlooked is that quantum computing is already solving real business problems. Murray Thom, vice president of quantum technology evangelism at D-Wave, explains their two-model approach to VML Intelligence: "In one model, we use quantum effects to allow the computer to move between solutions more quickly. That's really important for optimization applications like workforce scheduling, vehicle logistics and production scheduling – and those applications are near term." Companies are already using this "evolutionary" approach for logistics optimization and customer loyalty programs.

D Wave 7 Copyright D Wave — D-Wave Advantage system. Courtesy of D-Wave

The "revolutionary" model Thom describes – which could transform drug discovery and materials science – remains further out. Google's Charina Chou, delivering a handy primer on quantum to an audience at SXSW 2025, compares current research to the discovery of the human genome: "it does not solve everything we need to know, but it advances our understanding."

That understanding could pave the wave to industry-spanning transformative impacts we can’t yet imagine. As tech entrepreneur Whurley noted at SXSW, "Quantum will be more impactful than the Internet and AI... In 1959 who was thinking of the Internet? We have that chance all over again."

For brands then, the key is understanding where quantum might deliver advantage. At the London AI Summit in 2024, Unilever executives shared that they are exploring quantum's potential to accelerate product development and support decarbonization efforts. Energy company E.on is investigating how quantum computers could optimize future decentralized energy grids.

While the time of widespread utility remains uncertain, 2025's breakthroughs suggest quantum computing is moving from theoretical possibility to practical reality. While it won’t happen overnight, brands and businesses can prepare by getting started on quantum literacy and identifying potential use cases now, particularly in optimization, simulation, and complex problem-solving. As Cisco's recent announcement suggests, we may be closer to practical quantum computing than previously thought – and those who prepare early will be poised to benefit.

Main image: D-Wave Advantage quantum processing unit. Courtesy of D-Wave