The age of quantum software has already started

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Quantum computers are still in their infancy, but we don’t have to wait until they grow up to get a glimpse of the difference they will make. That means companies racing to keep up with artificial intelligence will need to contend with yet another emerging area of change much more quickly than some quantum timelines suggest.

We already have a few working examples of what quantum software can do, thanks to the ability of early-stage quantum machines and classical computers that simulate what is coming. International Business Machines said it now generates revenue from deploying quantum systems and services to more than 250 customers. The company said it is using quantum systems with Wells Fargo to potentially improve AI technology, for example, by testing and implementing new machine learning generative models.

IBM’s quantum scientists and the European energy company E.ON have developed an algorithm for managing weather risk using a quantum computer that IBM says could outperform classical methods. “It’s actually not a matter of waiting for that to be built. In fact, it’s already happening," said Jerry M.

Chow, an IBM fellow and director of quantum infrastructure at the company. Terra Quantum, a “quantum as a service" startup based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany, is similarly running quantum-based software on high-performance traditional computers for clients in finance, energy and life sciences, according to founder and Chief Executive Markus Pflitsch.