According to new study from Capgemini, 23% of enterprises around the world are presently working on or planning to deploy quantum technologies, transitioning from scientific research to real-world applications.
Paris– New research published on March 31st by the Capgemini Research Institute reveals that almost a quarter (23%) of organizations are working (or planning to work) on leveraging quantum technologies, with expectations of at least one major commercial application within the next 3–5 years. Furthermore, 20% of organizations are expecting to increase investments in technology in the next year.
According to the research Quantum technologies: How to prepare your organization for a quantum advantage now, China (43%) and the Netherlands (42%) have the largest share of companies working on or planning to work on quantum technologies, well ahead of Germany and the UK (each on 26%), versus 23% on average globally.
While the vast majority of the organizations working on quantum started more than 2 years ago, 28% of them stated that they had done so in the last two years. Overall, quantum technologies are beginning to move out of research environments and into real-world applications: among the organizations working on quantum, nearly 20% have reached the implementation stage (experiments or proofs of concepts). A further 23% have identified relevant use cases and are preparing for implementation.
These businesses plan to use the technology in a variety of ways, ranging from enhancing operational sustainability and discovering new materials for battery manufacturing to safeguarding data, medical sensors, and reducing dangerous industrial emissions. Quantum technologies are being used by financial services firms to more accurately price risky assets, optimize portfolios for greater returns, and detect fraud. Quantum computing is also being used by Life Sciences businesses to try to reduce the medication development cycle.
The Capgemini Research Institute conducted in-depth discussions with over 30 industry experts globally to distill how the top implementers are already using quantum technologies.
“It can take another decade to build a fault-tolerant, universal quantum computer. However, we can still get real impactful applications on quantum devices in the near future provided we optimize and adapt Quantum algorithms for the emerging noisy hardware equipped with tailor made verification processes.”
Elham Kashefi, Professor of Quantum Computing at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh and Director of Research at Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne University and co-founder of VeriQloud Ltd, said:
The report highlights that quantum technologies have reached different levels of maturity in terms of expected applications:
- Quantum computing has the highest potential of all quantum domains but it is also the least mature. The pace of development has accelerated, driven by investor interest, expanding use cases, and technology breakthroughs. On average, a majority of organizations working on quantum believe that the first commercial quantum computing applications are five years away;
- Quantum communications could address the new requirements of information security, in particular, to secure information exchange with external parties, protect critical infrastructure (IoT and cloud-enabled technologies) within the organization, or secure cloud data centers. Quantum cryptographic solutions are already being implemented. However, 58% of organizations working on quantum are waiting for standards to emerge before prioritizing quantum-safe security;
- Quantum sensors are more niche but also more mature. As they become smaller, more energy-efficient, and cheaper, sensors could play a transformative role across industries. Quantum sensors can accelerate the precision of measurement, notably in the healthcare/diagnostics, defense, automotive, civil engineering, construction, oil/gas, space, and telecom sectors.
Seven in ten organizations working on quantum agreed that due to long product development cycles in their businesses, they need to invest time now in building a base (the right skills, identifying problems/use cases, conducting lab experiments, or striking partnerships) and integrating quantum technologies into their processes. More than half (58%) of the organizations working on quantum stated that they had secured C-level support for quantum initiatives in the last year.
“Recent breakthroughs in quantum technologies seek to herald a new era for computing, sensors and cybersecurity within the next 5 years. Our research confirms that more and more organizations are getting educated about the technology and experimenting with real-life quantum technology applications. In the past two years, we’ve seen leaders emerge in the financial industry and a lot of traction in automotive, in particular. Getting ready today is critical to be able to capitalize on these new generation technologies when commercial applications become mainstream. It is why our team of quantum technology experts across the globe is focused on unlocking this potential for clients.”
Pascal Brier, Chief Innovation Officer at Capgemini and member of the Group Executive Committee, said
Even while large-scale commercial implementations are still a few years away, the research recommends that businesses begin planning now for the quantum advantage — the capacity to achieve much higher performance than is currently attainable with present technology. Organizations can begin experimenting with a small team of specialists after the use case has been developed. It will also be critical to translate the most powerful use cases into small-scale quantum experiments, form long-term collaborations with technology providers, and build a long-term strategy to scale up quantum talent.
To read the full report, click here: https://www.capgemini.com/research/quantum-technologies/
Methodology
In November–December 2021, Capgemini gathered input from 857 organizations asking whether they were working on or planning to use quantum technologies and surveyed 200 executives working or planning to work on quantum technologies. It also supplemented the survey with more than 30 in-depth interviews of practitioners of quantum technology at large organizations, startups, academics working on quantum technology, VCs in the field, as well as communities around quantum technology.
The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgemini’s in-house think-tank on all things digital. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was recently ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts.