2025 is the year of quantum science; what that’s all about

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of quantum mechanics, United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

If that milestone catches you off guard, don’t be surprised, as much of the activity and focus around quantum computing happens with little fanfare. Progress is steadily being made with quantum research, but the day when somebody can truly “master” quantum mechanics and release its true potential has remained elusive.

When that does happen, the good news is that quantum computers will potentially be able to solve in seconds extremely complex tasks that currently take years. The bad news is that quantum computers could also solve the data “puzzles” that are at the heart of encryption protection, leaving all systems and data immediately vulnerable.

“The advent of quantum computing is a double-edged sword, offering unparalleled compute power while posing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges. The transition to post-quantum cryptography may seem daunting, but with the right resources, strategic planning, and trusted partnerships, enterprises can ensure the protection of sensitive data against future quantum cyberattacks,” says Heather West, Ph.D., research manager, quantum computing research lead, IDC.

Where quantum development is, and is heading

In the meantime, the United Nations designation recognizes that the current state of quantum science has reached the point where the promise of quantum technology is moving out of the experimental phase and into the realm of practical applications.

“Quantum computing is at an exciting stage, where active collaboration between academia and industry is leading to rapid innovation,” explains Mohit Pandey, a quantum computing scientist who has extensive experience using quantum computing for drug discovery while working in the biotechnology industry.

“Before the 2010s, quantum computers were an exotic concept [and] were confined to the isolated academic discussions. But in the last 10 years, we have seen an accelerated pace of the use of quantum technology in business optimization problems, drug discovery, communication, and encryption,” Pandey explains.

These advances have been made possible due to extensive availability of quantum computers to the public, Pandey says. There are now scores of quantum hardware companies, including large technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM and startups such as QuEra, IonQ, and Kipu Quantum.

In addition, many organizations can now access quantum computers through cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services’ Amazon Braket, Pandey explains. This widespread access opens the opportunity for organizations to investigate the ways in which quantum computing can solve challenging problems.

A campaign to make quantum better understood

Rather than commemorate a particular event or development in quantum research, the United Nations designation is more intended to make quantum science more approachable and understandable, explaining what quantum computing means for everyday life in simple terms, says Arthur Tisi, founder of Hunova and co-founder of BaseForge, an advanced technology advisory that deals with quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning strategies.

“‘Quantum for everyone’ might be a tagline,” Tisi says. “The campaign will promote how advancements in quantum require international cooperation — similar to climate change — showing that breakthroughs in this field could benefit the entire world, impacting entire industries, not just a few nations or corporations.”

The UN messaging needs to be that quantum technology comes with lots of challenges still, but it can be a catalyst for helping solve previously insurmountable problems, Tisi says. Global challenges come with hard work and alignment around internet protocols, national security, and regulation — especially around ethics. But it could have a huge impact on such things as drug discovery, setting aside the bureaucracy within government agencies, he says.

Quantum computers will potentially be able to solve problems that include enormous databases and complex algorithmic challenges and do it with lightning speed, says Thomas Vartanian, executive director of the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center. What is not clear is that they will be able to function any better in a lot of areas that computers function today.

Quantum benefits aren’t for every organization

What will the full benefit be for organizations when the quantum challenge is resolved? For smaller organizations, probably not much. For large organizations, probably plenty, says Vartanian. Taking into account just the sector that he tracks — financial services — the impacts would be game-changing.

“The G7 Cyber Expert Group [an intergovernmental group chaired by the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Bank of England] just put out a report basically highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly of quantum computing,” Vartanian says. “The good is it will exponentially change the speed at which financial institutions can do market trading. It will facilitate enormously alternative investment strategies. It will enhance risk management. It will provide them greater capabilities to make more reliable predictions. It will change payment processing throughout the world in very dynamic ways, and it will make communications different and more secure.”

These promised benefits have led to an arms race, of sorts, as organizations — and even nations — try to be the first to break the quantum barrier.

“Supercomputing facilities and government entities worldwide are experimenting with the installation of a variety of quantum processing units to better identify the specifications needed for the integration of a gate-based quantum computer with a classical supercomputer. IBM specifically expects to deliver a quantum-centric supercomputer capable of executing 1 billion gates across 2,000 qubits by 2033,” IDC’s West says in her research report IBM Quantum: 156-Qubit Heron, Qiskit Functions, and the Future of Quantum Development.

Also driving the race is the potential to control the bad and the ugly of quantum. Data encryption is based on the need to solve extremely complex mathematical equations in order to get past the encrypted “firewall.” The equations are so complex that a standard computer would need years to solve the puzzle. Being able to quickly do so could be a technological tipping point.

“That depends on who gets quantum computing first and how they use it,” Vartanian explains. “Everything will either be more secure, or less secure.”

Toward that eventuality, Vartanian says China is acquiring massive amounts of encrypted data for the time when it might be able to unencrypt it all and gain significant economic, military, and security advantages globally.

Why IT pros should pay attention to advancements in quantum technology

On an individual scale, why should IT professionals care about the United Nations quantum designation? For one thing, it serves as a wake-up call that quantum is closer to reality and may soon impact organizations in several industries.

Perhaps more importantly: The biggest challenge in quantum computing — both in terms of the development of science and the assimilation by businesses — is the absence of experts in the field. This could be an exciting and lucrative field within IT.

“We’re looking at the need of a massive retraining of IT professionals and the creation of folks who are experts in a field that don’t exist today,” Vartanian says. “There will be a generational shift in terms of computing power and computing capability, and it’s going to take a lot of investment, particularly by large companies, to make this transition.”

It’s important for IT professionals to keep an eye on the rapid development of quantum computers, Pandey agrees. Like any emergent technology, it can be very risky to dismiss its potential. For example, 20 years ago, artificial intelligence was only relevant for researchers. Now it is making a real-world impact with the popularity of AI tools such as ChatGPT.

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International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the technology markets. IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG Inc.), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. Recently voted Analyst Firm of the Year for the third consecutive time, IDC’s Technology Leader Solutions provide you with expert guidance backed by our industry-leading research and advisory services, robust leadership and development programs, and best-in-class benchmarking and sourcing intelligence data from the industry’s most experienced advisors. Contact us today to learn more.

David Weldon is an adjunct research advisor with IDC’s IT Executive programs, focusing on IT business, digital transformation, data management, and artificial intelligence. He has extensive experience as a research analyst and as a business and technology journalist. His special concentrations are in the areas of technology, business and finance, education, healthcare, and workforce management. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University, where he studied newspaper journalism and American history.