Quantum computers are still two to five years away from full-scale production, but early users like the Cleveland Clinic and Mitsubishi Chemical are already seeing tangible benefits, particularly when quantum computing is used in conjunction with artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The hybrid approach is accelerating the practical usefulness of quantum systems, even before fault-tolerant machines become widely available.
“We are starting to see real applications of it,” says Lara Jehi, chief research information officer at Cleveland Clinic. Speaking as a keynote at the Quantum Tech World conference in Boston in late June, Jehi noted that the pace of quantum advancement has exceeded all expectations. In the fall of 2024, the largest simulation possible on quantum computers was just ten atoms. Industry roadmaps predicted it would take another five to seven years to pass the 10,000-atom threshold. Yet this year, the Cleveland Clinic successfully simulated protein complexes of up to 12,635 atoms using a quantum computer. “We would not have been able to do the same analysis classically,” Jehi emphasized.
However, even a protein of this size remains too small for clinical relevance. Real-world applications require simulations in the ballpark of a million atoms. Jehi is confident that milestone is within reach. “I think we’re very close, I’m very confident. One or two years,” she said. The key to reaching that scale lies in combining quantum computing with AI running on classical computers. Simulating how a compound binds to a protein in real time is too big a problem for either technology alone. “But AI can do a good job identifying where in that large molecule are the particular spots where you need that extra layer of accuracy,” Jehi explained. “We use classical computing up front to identify these highest tier fragments and then zoom in to those fragments with the higher resolution that quantum can provide for better simulation.”
Mitsubishi Chemical has been experimenting with quantum computing since 2018, focusing on quantum chemical calculations and optimization problems. The technology has proven itself, and the company now aims to put it into production use by the end of this year or early next year. The first use cases will be in advanced semiconductor materials, specifically designing new materials for computer chips. “Two-nanometer chips require high energy resolution, which is impossible for classical computer simulations,” said Qi Gao, distinguished scientist at Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation’s Science and Innovation Center. “So we have to use quantum computers.” The plan involves simulating metal oxide, a photo-resistant material used in etching patterns into chips, a task that cannot be done classically. Gao acknowledged it will take a couple of years to fully develop the necessary algorithms, but the industry is moving steadily toward practical business use. “Every company is looking at 2028, 2029, or 2030. We think 2028 and 2029 will be very important years in quantum computing.”
SoftBank Corp. is also eyeing a similar timeframe for commercializing its quantum computing offerings. The company connects customers to IBM and Quantinuum machines at Riken through its AI data center, with 21 pilot projects now ongoing. “Within our AI data center, we have already built the supercomputer level,” said Nobushige Oguri, director of quantum business planning at SoftBank Corp. “It’s a world-class supercomputer, but it’s just set up for processing AI. The quantum computer will be the new accelerator to enhance current AI capability.” Oguri believes this hybrid use of AI and quantum together will accelerate adoption. Juliette Peyronnet, U.S. general manager at Alice & Bob, agrees that the hybrid approach is the best bet, with quantum computers augmenting today’s technology rather than replacing it. “Quantum processing units are very specialized devices,” she said. “They can’t solve your everyday problems. They’re really bad at doing basic math.” Instead, just as CPUs handle bulk computing and GPUs are used for AI tasks, quantum processors will tackle challenges that traditional computers cannot. “We know that quantum computers are not going to work in isolation.”
A maturing ecosystem
Another sign that quantum computing is moving from laboratory to real-world use is the emergence of a full quantum ecosystem with multiple hardware and software providers. “I’ve been 15 years in the field, as a researcher and now as a CEO, and it’s been changing dramatically and accelerating very fast,” said Marta Estarellas, CEO at Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, a Spanish company making superconducting qubits. Today, quantum computing companies no longer need to build every component from scratch. “Now what you see are a lot of spinoffs and startups starting to build different layers of the supply chain. Which is great. Players like ours don’t have to think about building the full stack and can delegate to third parties—and that really helps push forward the technology.”
The Quantum Tech World conference showcased this ecosystem. More than 1,300 people attended, with over one hundred sponsors. Among them were multiple quantum computer makers, including Quantum Computing Inc., which demonstrated a real-time fraud detection algorithm that beat classical methods and scales linearly with dataset size. Software companies, consulting firms, and specialized providers were also present. “Our booth has been packed,” said Jason Silbergleit, head of Americas at Classiq, an orchestration software company that provides an abstraction layer for non-scientists to build quantum applications. “More and more users want to take advantage of the platform. Even in the past six months—three months—the amount of acceleration and interest is growing.”
“We’re shifting from very fundamental and exploratory, building one-off kinds of systems and devices, to making things that are scalable,” said Celia Merzbacher, executive director at the Quantum Economic Development Consortium. “And within a timeframe that private investors and end users are willing to start to engage.” The momentum is apparent on several fronts. Quantum companies are receiving new rounds of investment, and governments are making commitments. According to a report released in April by her organization, there are now 556 pure-play quantum companies and more than 7,000 “quantum-engaged” organizations. The quantum industry saw $1.9 billion in revenues in 2025, up 30% from the previous year. Government funding commitments reached $12.7 billion last year, up more than 300% from 2024, and private venture capital investment hit $4.9 billion, an increase of nearly 200%. “And the number of people who are really rolling up their sleeves and doing the work that needs to be done to advance the hardware and the software—I think there’s just a momentum that is quite visible.”
The hybrid approach combining AI, classical HPC, and quantum computing is already delivering results today, and the ecosystem is maturing rapidly. With major investments, growing government support, and an expanding supply chain, quantum computing is transitioning from research curiosity to a practical tool for industry. Early adopters like Cleveland Clinic and Mitsubishi Chemical are proving that even before fault-tolerant quantum computers arrive, the combination of quantum and AI can solve problems that were previously out of reach. As SoftBank’s Oguri put it, quantum computers will serve as accelerators for AI, not replacements. This symbiotic relationship is likely to drive the next wave of technological breakthroughs in materials science, drug discovery, and beyond.
Source: Network World News