Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken centre stage as the most revolutionary and hyped technology in the last few years. ChatGPT’s emergence was a watershed moment, thrusting AI into the public spotlight and resulting in a global arms race to develop even larger, more powerful models. In comparison, the second quantum technology revolution has so far gone unnoticed.
Even though quantum is less publicised and its potential is less understood, around the world, some of the brightest minds are working not just to develop its potential but also to help it become a reality. The UK is at the vanguard of this important work, but we are currently far from seeing widespread commercialisation and value generation. For this to happen, and for society to reap the benefits, we must bridge the gap between potential and practical applications.
Quantum technologies use controlled quantum systems, such as trapped subatomic particles, to create new ways of measuring the world and solving problems computationally. They achieve this by controlling quantum processes within these systems and measuring their quantum interactions with their environment.
Yes! The first quantum technology revolution began in the 1920s with the birth of the theory itself. The technology developed and exploited over the next 60 years used the theory to invent devices that used macro-quantum effects - quantum effects built out of many quantum systems working together, such as lasers, transistors, atomic power, MRIs, and atomic clocks. Since the 1990s, researchers, engineers and technologists have been able to work with individual quantum systems, opening up a whole new set of possibilities for quantum technologies, and we call this the second quantum technology revolution.
The second quantum technology revolution is poised to totally disrupt the digital sectors. Similar to the GPU revolution, Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) will bring about a paradigm shift in the problems we can solve with computation. Quantum Sensing Units (QSUs) are already opening new possibilities in remote sensing applications. The potential field of impact of quantum technologies is expected to be extremely broad, but how this will be manifested is by no means fully understood.
Our understanding of the full applicability of the technologies is analogous to that of classical computing in the 1950s. We know that the potential is extraordinary, and we know a few examples of how to use it today, but we don’t yet know the full scope of just how great it is, or what the path could be to widespread use.
Based on our current understanding, some of the highly anticipated use cases for quantum technologies include:
The UK is already a world leader in quantum technologies. We have some of the most advanced fabrication labs and manufacturers, with UK companies making world-leading quantum sensing and quantum computing capabilities. In addition, through establishing UK Quantum Technology Hubs, the National Quantum Computing Centre, the National Quantum Software Lab, and other initiatives, the government has been encouraging and fostering collaboration across the quantum technology supply chain.
At the same time, there are numerous initiatives like the SparQ program and the UK NQCC National Quantum Hackathons that have encouraged potential end users and customers for the quantum sector to come together and explore and raise awareness about the current capabilities and limitations of quantum computing technology, nurture talent development, and bring a fully commercialised UK quantum industry closer to reality.
Mind Foundry is proud to have been actively involved in both initiatives mentioned above. As part of the SparQ program, we collaborated with the Aioi R&D Lab - Oxford and the NQCC to explore using quantum algorithms to minimise road closure disruptions by optimising scheduling and maintenance operations. We also provided the use case alongside the Aioi R&D Lab for the winning team in the 2024 National Quantum Hackathon: Risk aggregation evaluation for insurance losses in case of natural disaster.
In addition to being a technology leader, the quantum sector has had a substantial positive impact on the UK economy. In 2014, the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) saw the government invest £1bn over the next 10 years in the sector. In 2023, the second UK National Quantum Strategy was launched with £2.5bn to be invested over the following decade, “with the aim of attracting significant additional private investment on top of that”. In 2023, the CBI reported that “the quantum sector has grown 81% since 2013, and now contributes an estimated £1.7bn GVA to the UK economy per year”. Despite the relative nascentness of quantum technologies, this already represents half the economic contribution of the construction sector in the North East. The report also highlighted that “the quantum sector supports 20,000 full-time equivalent jobs and has attracted £1.4bn in investment since 2016.”
The 2023 UK National Quantum Strategy prioritises transitioning from fostering the quantum technology supply chains towards the early-stage adoption of quantum technology products. The Five Quantum Missions lay out key areas where the government envisions quantum technology products being impactful in the UK economy in the next ten years. Achieving success in these areas will require ‘bridging the chasm’ between proof of concept demonstrations and early-stage adoption, and fantastic new technological advances will need to be backed up by a solid understanding of their route to market with a clear and actionable plan for commercial success.
This is hard to do, and it will require direct involvement from the end consumers like the NHS, MoD, major infrastructure asset owners, and telecommunications companies, as well as collaboration between them and those developing the technologies and products. We are already seeing greater involvement from scientific consulting companies and innovation professional services providers coming in to bridge the gap between the raw technology companies and end customers. There is a major risk that insufficient funding will be available, either from private or public sources, for this important work connecting technical solutions with commercial problems.
No one player is going to solve this problem. Collaboration will be key, and the quantum sector is well-practised at it. The recent InnovateUK-funded AutoQT project demonstrated how combining expertise in quantum, hardware, software, and control systems, with the latest AI and Machine Learning techniques can help overcome some of the fundamental technological obstacles, like achieving automation of the qubit calibration problem, We will now need to replicate this spirit and approach across the sector, including early adopters and multidisciplinary teams to deliver quantum-powered products and services.
Perhaps the most important way we can ensure the UK stays ahead is through education. The greatest barrier to any technology looking for a commercial pathway is understanding the needs of its customer. There is no better way to find this ‘product-market-fit’ than for the development of the product to be led by the customer. We must make sure that freshly graduated doctors in the NHS, engineers working for National Highways, or chemists working for pharmaceuticals have a basic understanding of what quantum technologies are and what they can do to maximise our chances of developing the talented, bright, and dynamic leaders we need.
It is the young professionals of tomorrow who are best positioned to connect and exploit the potential of this industrial strength with world-leading and exportable commercial applications, translating UK technological leadership into the economic growth and competitiveness the UK seeks.
Interested in finding out more about our work in Quantum Computing? Get in touch here.