Anton Frisk Kockum: The Impact of Quantum Computing Advancements May Be Felt Across Many Industries 

Quantum computing technology could offer enterprises a way to optimize their systems and handle challenges in ways that are beyond the reach of classic computing models.  

We speak to Anton Frisk Kockum, researcher and Scientific Coordinator of the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology (WACQT) at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden about the state of quantum computing research, the challenges and potential benefits of the technology, as well as how quantum computing is already changing the digital landscape.  

In 2019, WAQCT achieved the desired performance with a two-qubit processor. The core project goal, of course, is to create a one hundred qubit processor that can run one algorithm. How do you get there? And how far along is the project?

The performance of the two-qubit processor was good, and that allowed us to run a quantum algorithm for a simple instance of a logistics problem in the airline industry. But we always desire the performance to be better. As we scale up towards a hundred qubits, we not only need to maintain the good properties of the two-qubit device (for example, how few errors it experienced), we need to improve on them. It’s no use having many qubits if they aren’t of good quality. This is important to remember when seeing announcements about qubit numbers from any player in this field.  

We have a plan for gradually scaling up to a hundred qubits with really good quality. Along the way, there are a number of scaling hurdles. For example, when you have more than a handful qubits, you need to automate tune-up and calibration of them. When you have more than twenty or so qubits, you can no longer control them well individually on a 2D chip but need to implement a 3D structure to house the control wires needed to control each qubit. With even more qubits, you need more customized electronics to control them all and you need to avoid overheating the advanced fridge housing them at millikelvin temperatures. 

We are on track in our ten-year plan and are currently testing a first-generation 25-qubit device with 3D integration. We have recently shown that we can do such 3D integration with fewer qubits without degrading their quality.  

What are some of the biggest challenges in quantum technology research now? How do you propose to address them?

For quantum computing, I see two main challenges: scaling up the size of the quantum computers (while also improving qubit quality) and figuring out at what scale these computers can run quantum algorithms that provide useful results. I described some of the scaling hurdles above, but there are more of them as you go up beyond a thousand qubits, towards millions. For algorithms, it is still unclear how small and noisy quantum computers can be and still have an advantage over classical computers in solving some useful problems.   

We know that there are advantages to be had with millions of high-quality qubits, and we know that quantum computers already today can run some programs which classical computers cannot emulate efficiently, but these programs are not yet useful. Figuring out where the boundary of useful quantum computing lies is thus essential.  

In WACQT, we are addressing both these challenges. I explained above how we are working to scale up the number of qubits. We also are making efforts to improve the quality of the qubits.  

On the algorithmic side, we are working with several major Swedish companies as industry partners to see how quantum algorithms can be applied in their areas of business, and what capacity a quantum computer needs to reach to have an impact there.  

Of the different arms of quantum research at WACQT – computing and simulation, communication, and sensing – which are you most excited about? Why?

As a researcher who mostly works in the area of quantum computing and simulation, I may be biased, but I think this is the area with the largest potential. The most important applications in this area may be further in the future than some in quantum sensing or quantum communication, but they include the ability to simulate and understand large molecules, which could have a tremendous impact on chemistry and biology. This could open large advances in medicine, materials science, etc. I’m particularly excited about the prospects that such advances in the long term could help us enjoy healthier and longer lives.  

Businesses are investing in quantum technology research with a focus on continuity. What do you think are potential useful real-world applications of quantum computing for organizations? Which industries stand to benefit the most?

These are difficult questions that many researchers, both in industry and in academia, are working to figure out answers to. The applications in chemistry that I described above seem more certain than many others but are quite long-term. Companies in sectors like finance, the automotive industry, and IT are investigating potential applications of quantum computing for machine learning and optimization problems. It is less clear whether there actually will be clear quantum advantages in these areas in the end, but if there are, the impact will be felt across many industries.  

Any technological advancement presents just as much risk as it does benefits. In the case of quantum computing, how can organizations build resilience against the risks that the technology poses?

I think the first step is to stay updated on the progress in the field of quantum computing. This helps identify risks in time to act and mitigate them. A next step could be to acquire in-house competence in the field, helping the organization become “quantum ready”, i.e., ready to make use of quantum computing for its purposes before competing organizations gain an advantage by doing so. 

What do you think are some emerging IT trends in 2022?

From my quantum computing perspective, I note that OpenSSH (a popular tool for remote login on computers), in its latest release a few weeks ago, changed its default encryption algorithm to one that is believed to be more resistant to quantum-computing attacks. Even though quantum computers that can break RSA encryption are still many years away, I think we will see a trend toward changing encryption methods in the near future. There is data that needs to remain secure for many years.  

*The answers have been edited for length and clarity.