What's coming next?

Gathering perspectives from experts, other disciplines and groups in society can help us to build an inclusive future for quantum computing.

Having a sense of what quantum computing is and what applications it may have, already gives a perspective on what quantum computing can bring. Transport companies may improve their logistics, hospitals can scan DNA faster, academia may discover useful new materials, and everyone has to change the encryption of their data and communication. Quantum computing may also bring more systematic changes to society. The superconducting materials and better solar panels that may be discovered may revolutionize the generation, storage and transport of energy. And changing encryption may lead to new infrastructure for data storage and transmission. So what is the larger impact of quantum computing on society?

To address this broader question we organized a number of meetings of people in society. These people will be the first to be confronted with quantum computing and can be taken as experts on what this new technology will bring society. We had meetings with industry, with the Dutch government, with national security experts, with scientists using computing, with educators, with designers, and with secondary school students. We discussed with them how people look at quantum computing, what they see as the benefits and challenges of its applications, and how the emergence of quantum computing can bring change.

In the next few pages you can find the lessons we learned during these meetings. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic most meetings were online, introducing the threat of more passive exchanges. We were happily surprised by the engagement of all, and by the knowledge people had of quantum computing and its applications. The meetings were lively ones, leading to rewarding insights.

Finally, we asked students - the future experts on quantum computing - to give their vision of what quantum computing can bring. We organized a contest among all TU Delft students to imagine the year of 2040 and envisage how quantum computing has found its place in society. We end this Impact part with two of those visions.