John Prisco, Security CEO & founder of Safe Quantum Inc., working with data-driven companies to develop and deploy quantum-safe technologies
Recent statements by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have cast doubt on the near-term practicality of quantum computing, leading to declines in quantum computing stocks and casting a shadow over the sector.
At CES 2025, Huang suggested that the development of highly functional quantum computers is likely 15 to 30 years away. During an interview on the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg echoed Huang’s sentiments, stating that quantum computing is “still quite a ways off from being a very useful paradigm.”
These cautious outlooks influenced investor sentiment, resulting in notable stock declines for quantum companies like Rigetti Computing (shares dropped approximately 15%), D-Wave Quantum Inc. (down 18%), IonQ Inc. (down 7%) and Quantum Computing Inc. (a 10% drop).
These declines reflect growing investor skepticism about the immediate commercial viability of quantum computing technologies, but they also seem to me to be an indication that AI innovators are looking to draw attention toward themselves and away from quantum.
The CEO of IonQ, however, called the bluff. In guidance issued in mid-January, Peter Chapman laid out specific goals and an updated timeline that rivals or bests the astronomical growth that Huang’s Nvidia experienced.
Game on.
Advances In Quantum Computing
That said, let’s be clear—while AI and quantum computing are not competitors, they are competing for investor attention and dollars.
I posit that there are two primary forces in the development of a quantum computer, and both are advancing quickly and are worthy of attention.
First, quantum technologies are critical to protecting encryption and public key cryptography—the mathematical algorithms that protect data transfer today. Companies like Microsoft (and I, in many previous articles for the Forbes Technology Council) are encouraging businesses to prepare for a “quantum-ready” future with technologies such as quantum key distribution for quantum-protected data.
Second, there is momentum around the development of distributed quantum computing. Think of this like a network of computers communicating over the internet—a distributed model would enable quantum communications within a data center and link multiple quantum computers, making them strong enough to become cryptographically relevant.
Cisco recently published a compelling approach to designing scalable quantum networks, a truly revolutionary approach that can expedite the utility of quantum computers beyond one machine.
In essence, quantum computing’s potential to solve complex problems requires scaling from current quantum processing units (QPUs) with limited qubit capacity to systems with millions of qubits. Quantum data centers (QDCs) address this challenge by networking multiple QPUs, enabling distributed quantum computing.
This approach mirrors classical data center models, offering scalable, centralized resources with improved efficiency and reduced costs.
Balancing AI And Quantum
Clearly, quantum isn’t going away, and in my opinion, developments like this put a cryptographically relevant quantum computer at more like a five-year horizon event—not the 15 to 30 years Huang predicted.
Both quantum computing and AI are cutting-edge fields with transformative potential, attracting venture capital, corporate funding and government support. AI may currently enjoy broader mainstream recognition due to its tangible applications like ChatGPT, image generation and autonomous systems. But quantum computing offers both near-term opportunity and long-term potential, especially in terms of security today for potential threats in the future.
So, where are two areas that the savvy tech leaders should look at?
First and foremost, check out quantum companies that show commercial applications today (such as QKD and quantum networking). Security applications around defense in depth utilizing quantum technologies are being applied by early adopters in industries such as financial services, research and utilities, so expect to see traction there first.
Second, quantum computing can be a powerful enhancement for AI, eventually solving optimization problems, improving machine learning algorithms and accelerating AI training processes. Quantum can represent an incredible opportunity for investors focusing on foundational science, long-term disruption and industries like cryptography, materials science and complex modeling.
While AI may be diverting some of the luster away from quantum computing, quantum computing’s promise of power and eventual integration with AI could amplify both fields, making it a strategic long-term investment for tech-savvy stakeholders.
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