69% of enterprises embrace quantum computing

Quantum computing has become a priority, as 74% agree that those who fail to adopt quantum computing will fall behind, states a new global study “The First Annual Report on Enterprise Quantum Computing Adoption,” authorized by Zapta Computing 

Quantum is moving past the planning stage. worldwide, 29% of enterprises are already in the early or more advanced stages of quantum adoption, with another 40% to follow in the next year. While 41% expect to achieve a competitive advantage — i.e., a lead over peers in their industry — within the next two years, and the top 12% of adopters expect to achieve some competitive advantage within one year — or already have, 96% of respondents would need more than 10 minutes to explain quantum computing to a friend at a party.

“Today, more organizations are realizing that quantum computing is the next frontier in their data analytics capabilities, and if they don’t want to lag behind, they need to start building the infrastructure, applications, and workforce for quantum computing today,” said Christopher Savoie, CEO of Zapata. “We’re already seeing how the leaders in quantum adoption are separating themselves from the rest of the pack. They are starting to build solutions that strategically leverage today’s quantum devices within mostly classical applications. Those that are the furthest ahead aren’t just investing in quantum to avoid losing — they’re playing to win.”

Some key finding of the reports: 

Machine Learning and Data Analytics are the top quantum use cases
This is particularly true in the US, where 71% of respondents are most interested in using quantum computing to address machine learning and data analytics problems. Machine learning is the most likely use case to deliver near-term value for the enterprise, as areas where classical ML struggles — such as generative models in unsupervised and semi-supervised learning for augmenting datasets in predictive models — are better suited for quantum devices.

28% of global quantum computing budgets top USD1 million
Organizations are ramping up their quantum investments significantly beyond the ~USD100K R&D budgets of the past, representing a turning point in adoption. The earliest adopters of new technologies are more than twice as likely to invest more than $1 million in quantum computing than their late adopter peers (37% vs. 13%).

Organizations need quantum vendors but are concerned about getting locked-in
Given the complexity of quantum computing and limited pool of qualified talent, a whopping 96% of respondents agreed that they could not successfully adopt quantum computing without the help of a trusted vendor. However, 73% of respondents were concerned about getting locked-in with a full-stack quantum vendor, while 47% were very or extremely concerned. Related to this, forward compatibility was the top consideration for choosing a quantum vendor. This calls for a hardware-agnostic, interoperable approach to quantum adoption.

Complexity is the greatest barrier to quantum adoption
49% of respondents perceived that the biggest hurdle to quantum adoption was the complexity of integrating quantum computing with their existing IT stack. Quantum computing will always exist in a hybrid model with classical computing, and almost all near-term access to quantum devices will be remote. Managing this complexity calls for new workflows to orchestrate the integration of quantum and classical resources. Other top hurdles included security concerns, lack of existing advanced capabilities (AI/ML) to build on, lack of talent or expertise, and a lack of clear use cases.

The United States leads in quantum adoption
36% of leaders surveyed at US organizations are in the early or advanced stages of quantum adoption, with 12% of those organizations expecting to achieve a competitive advantage within one year or have already achieved an advantage. The US also leads in quantum investments, with 44% of quantum-adopting organizations budgeting more than USD1 million for the technology.

Quantum adoption is highest in the transportation industry
63% of respondents in the transportation industry are in the early stages of quantum adoption, the highest for any industry. This could be a response to the ongoing supply chain crisis, as quantum computing has immense potential to optimize shipping and logistics networks.