It’s time to stop sleeping on quantum computing: 48 experts on what to watch for next

The media continues to sleep on quantum. No surprise, really, between the AI boom and the fact that the science behind the technology can feel inscrutable. But while most everyone slumbers, quantum computers have been making considerable progress. Researchers are getting more qubits, the tech’s fundamental building block, to work together, correcting errors more effectively, and developing faster, more efficient quantum algorithms. These are major improvements, especially because the qubit has proved devilishly hard to control. With some investors increasingly worried that the AI market, already flush with cash, can’t deliver a boffo return, they’re turning to quantum computing as an attractive alternative. “While the rest of the world was consumed with generative AI,” says Callum Stewart, an investment principal at Bullhound Capital, “the conversation around quantum shifted from ‘Is this ever going to work?’ to “When and how can we apply this at scale, and integrate it into our existing classical computers?’” The appeal is tantalizing. Quantum computers could enable scientific discoveries that are beyond the reach of classical supercomputers. Businesses could find a powerful tool…