The practical prospects of quantum computing for enterprises

There are already several possibilities for performing tasks on present-day quantum computers – more commonly known as noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers. Possible use cases mainly focus on optimizations in, for example, combinatorics or machine learning, which can utilize the noise of these experimental devices. However, although such optimizations are thoroughly theoretically researched, few of these studies have validated their benchmarks in practice. With emerging quantum cloud providers – parties that make quantum computers available via the cloud – the practical validation of theoretical results is becoming more accessible.

When looking at commercial cloud providers, familiar names such as Azure, AWS and Google Cloud emerge. One might think that these companies are building their own quantum computers. However, the actual hardware development is done by research institutions like IonQ, Honeywell and DWave. The cloud providers act as intermediaries between these institutions (quantum providers) and potential customers since, due to their market share, they can reach a larger audience. The odd one in this equation is IBM, which is developing its own quantum computers and adjacently its own cloud infrastructure called IBM Cloud.