Quantum Commentary | Practicality is Amazing | Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Is quantum amazement dead?
Last week, I recorded a media podcast about the current state of quantum computing. I’ll post a link to it when it is available, but today I’m discussing something that we chatted about in the prep that did not make it into the final conversation.
Is it time for people to stop being so amazed by quantum?
It’s the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), so we have a great reason to learn more about the technology and its potential applications. These include computing, networking, communications, and sensing. This year is our joint opportunity to explain the key characteristics of quantum mechanics in a simplified manner and explore how it is starting to translate into new applications in our everyday lives. Of course, the universe and you and I are applications of quantum mechanics, so it’s not an entirely novel idea.
Will the IYQ amazement end in December? In 2026, will we say “been there, done that” regarding quantum, at least in terms of highlighting it so much?
Perhaps a bit of exhaustion will creep in, but we will merely be one year further into the evolution of quantum tech. We will continue to have the conferences and events, as the field is still evolving, and they must address that maturation to wider and wider audiences. They must change their agendas, as must the media stories.
Consider my Apple iPhone. I don’t care too much about the hardware beyond it providing a good camera and screen, performance, storage capacity, and the ability to connect via wifi and cellular communications. Do I care about transistors? No. All the features with which I am concerned are made useful by software. (Note I said “useful” and not “provide utility.”) It’s the apps.
The phone hardware is capable enough to support the software well, something we can’t say about quantum computers today. So, instead, we talk about arcane topics like qubit counts and modalities, programming paradigms, fidelities, and error correction codes. This choice of public discussion topics will eventually change. As an industry, we should stop being amazed by all this granular technical detail and spend much more time exploring two or three levels deeper for potential practical use cases. Tell me more about the software and the infrastructure that supports it.
It is in this sense that I raised the original question about reducing amazement. You can certainly be excited about practical uses, but the quantum clichés and misconceptions spoken with wide starry eyes are passé. No more “0 and 1 at the same time,” friends.
Instead, I want to hear about real potential applications for quantum and the requirements of the software and hardware to deliver them. I should correct myself: they are “applications for computation,” not simply for “quantum.” That’s because industrial and commercial use cases already entail many different kinds of classical processors and data movement. You know this: people talk all the time about their hybrid CPU-GPU algorithms. Actually, they don’t, but many favor such hybridization when quantum is involved.
Amaze me with your research from the top down on how quantum will eventually be a necessary component to a specific healthcare, pharmaceutical, chemical, materials science, or optimization problem.
There’s an old saying that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Stop giving me “hammer” arguments for NISQ hardware, software, and algorithms. Practically explain why your work will survive into the fault-tolerant era and scale to the ultra-large problems classical computing can’t do alone. Tell me the domain-specific experts in the industry with whom you are working. You support them. Give frequent updates.
I am by no means saying that innovation and investment in quantum should stop, far from it. Focus on the practical goals and what is involved to get you (and us) there. Couch your technical details in that context, not in what a great and improved hammer you’ve made.
To quote Paul McCartney from his first solo album in 1970, I hope soon to say, “maybe I’m amazed” about all the real non-hyped progress you are making on what quantum can do, not how it’s built.
Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory
Dr. Bob Sutor is the CEO and Founder of Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory. Sutor Group offers comprehensive market insights and in-depth technical expertise, drawing on over four decades of experience working with startups and large corporations. It advises Deep Tech startups, companies, and investors on quantum technologies, AI, and other emerging tech fields.
Sutor Group shares its knowledge and analysis through direct client engagements, seminars, reports, newsletters, books, written and on-air media appearances, as well as speaking and panel moderation at top conferences and client events.
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