The Quantum Leap: Quantum Computing Promises to Unlock Unprecedented Breakthroughs
What is technology? It’s a tool devised to solve a problem—or a bundle of problems—that makes life better once we adopt it. Fire kept us warm after dark, chased away predators, and let us enjoy tastier food. Money empowered us to build larger societies, launch companies, trade across oceans, and create a global financial system. Yet while artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated headlines these past years (and will keep doing so), another breakthrough could change our lives and unlock enormous new opportunities: quantum computing.
For me, this is a landmark instant in quantum-tech history. Since childhood my dad—often found nose-deep in books on quantum physics, time, or gravity—made grasping the universe a delight. He made figuring out the universe feel like play, and, according to my mom, that curiosity helped her fall for him. Who says physics can’t be romantic?
Once this technology is fully operational, quantum computing promises astonishing advances, unimaginable openings, and solutions to many of the world’s most urgent problems. Let’s explore what is already possible—and what may lie ahead.
My aim is simple: when you finish reading, you’ll feel ready to dig deeper into quantum tech. Please bear with the simplifications and shortcuts I’ll take to keep this topic friendly for as many people as possible. You don’t need to assemble a quantum computer, write exotic code, decipher wave equations, or even like physics to join the conversation. What counts is spotting the trend and understanding how this extraordinary technology will weave into your business, your industry, Latin America, and the wider world. So, let’s dive into what the quantum realm has in store.
Artificial intelligence—especially the generative kind—has dominated recent years, bursting into nearly every economic sector, reshaping business, and filtering into our personal lives. It has rewired how we view work, productivity, and what frontier systems can do. AI lowers the barrier to launching companies, slashes tedious tasks, and helps millions uncover innovative fixes to stubborn problems. It’s even driving research that has already earned Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry—proof of AI’s power to open brand-new horizons across disciplines.
Of course, plenty of other technologies have shaped the world we live in. But now I want to steer your attention toward the next leap for our species—one with very real implications for your life, your industry, and your company: quantum computing. We’re about to set off on a journey to see how the probabilistic realm of the ultra-tiny can—and will—reshape big-picture reality.
Everyone wishes they’d caught wind of Bitcoin back in 2010 or grasped the promise of generative AI in 2018. Imagine the calls you’d have made. From where I sit—as a tech CEO, advisor to G20 governments and Fortune 500 clients, and an AI professor—I’m watching investment and interest in quantum computing skyrocket. Treat this article as your on-ramp to the next tech revolution, one that could prove as foundational as AI is today.
I know you’re probably not a quantum-physics or high-performance-computing guru, so we’ll keep things straightforward but substantive enough for you to chart your own quantum course afterward. No need to fear jargon or page-ripping complexity.
To keep it fun, we’ll recruit Oppi—a quantum cat named after Oppenheimer—to help illustrate superposition and a few other quirks of quantum mechanics. His cameo is brief, and if you want deeper dives, follow me on LinkedIn or X (Twitter). For the record, no cats—real or imaginary—were harmed in making this piece; though rumor has it the Fast Company crew might leave Oppi alone in the office just to prove a point.
Why should quantum computing matter to you?
Quantum computing could rival artificial intelligence in reshaping our societies, companies, governments, healthcare, cybersecurity, materials science—you name it. Combine it with AI and the outlook gets even wilder: full-blown Quantum AI, which many see as the launchpad for the long-debated holy grail of tech, artificial general intelligence (AGI). Yes, we’re venturing into speculative territory here, tossing out probabilistic bets on what the next five—or ten—years might bring.
Jumping into the quantum game—whether you’re a developer, investor, founder, or business leader—can yield massive rewards. Follow the steps I lay out at the end of this piece and keep digging on your own, and you’ll be the genius who spotted the next big wave before anyone else.
Notice I keep saying could. Much of what we’re talking about is still under construction and will need time to mature. AI slogged through decades of progress, winters, and rebirths; quantum may run the same gauntlet. But just as insiders weren’t blindsided when generative AI burst onto the scene, you won’t be caught off guard as quantum momentum builds. That’s the whole point of this article.
From 2015 to 2020, venture capital in quantum tech shot up roughly 500 percent, according to CB Insights. Sure, some startups—Zapata Computing and Nordic Quantum Computing Group among them—have folded, yet billions of dollars still pour into quantum research, hardware, and software every year, buoyed by deep government pockets in the U.S., China, and beyond. Those highs and lows are simply the growing pains of a technology this complex—and this transformative.
So, what is quantum computing, and why should we care?
When you weigh its impact, think of two main business applications:
Solve problems that were previously impossible because of time or complexity constraints, opening industries that don’t yet exist.
Do what we already do far faster and more efficiently, yielding competitive advantage, a cleaner planet, and more.
Balancing future-oriented tech with today’s revenue is essential. Quantum computing lets you boost your current business—via quantum-inspired algorithms and cloud-based Quantum-as-a-Service—while preparing for tomorrow’s hardware. To set a solid baseline, here’s a concise glossary for business leaders—and a playful spin on Schrödinger’s cat to clarify superposition.
Warning: If you flash this condensed cheat sheet at a die-hard physicist and you may get the magazine shaken in your face—“Outrageous! No quantum annealing, combinatorics, or QUBOs!”—just smile, clutch the magazine, and run. You can dive deeper later, but for now this is a good starting point.
Qubit, short for quantum bit, is the foundational unit of information in quantum computing. Unlike a classical bit—which can only be 0 or 1—a qubit can inhabit both states at once, courtesy of quantum mechanics. Its state is described by a wavefunction, letting it encode far more data in parallel and causing computing power to grow exponentially with every additional qubit.
Superposition is a bedrock principle of quantum mechanics: a system can exist in multiple states simultaneously, expressed as a mix of probabilities in its wavefunction. The system isn’t merely “between” states—all possibilities truly coexist until a measurement is made, at which point the wavefunction collapses and the system settles on a single outcome.
Quantum-inspired algorithms borrow quantum concepts—like massive parallelism and advanced optimization—but run on classical hardware. They shine in sectors such as logistics and finance, delivering faster, more efficient solutions without the need for actual quantum machines, letting organizations tap into quantum-style advantages well before full-scale quantum computers arrive.
Breathe—just breathe. That’s enough terminology for now. You’ve got the core concepts you need to grasp quantum computing at a high level. We’ll keep weaving them in as we go, so feel free to mark this page for a quick refresher later.
When you compare quantum computing with classical computing, picture two very different modes of calculation: one sequential, the other all at once. A classical machine solves problems step by step. Hand it a maze with a thousand possible paths and it will test each route one after another; the bigger the maze, the longer the slog. A quantum system, by contrast, can survey every path simultaneously—thanks to superposition—and zero in on the optimal route in a fraction of the time.
How much faster, exactly? Take 2048-bit RSA encryption—the standard lock on browsers, email, VPNs, and plenty of other communications. Today’s supercomputers would need roughly 300 trillion years to crack it. A quantum computer with 4,099 qubits running Shor’s algorithm could, on paper, finish in mere hours—maybe even minutes. Sure, that scenario is still theoretical, but even if a future machine took a full day to break RSA-2048, it would still be infinitely quicker than the trillions of years classical hardware requires. Which is why, as you read this, governments and tech giants are stepping on the gas to build these advanced systems.
Quantum computing could upend portfolio optimization in the financial markets, enabling real-time tweaks to asset allocations with unprecedented precision. In materials science, quantum simulations may uncover brand-new superconductors, while in pharmaceuticals, quantum algorithms could model molecular interactions to discover drugs faster and with fewer failed trials.
Now, before we dive any deeper, you might be wondering, “How does this even work? How can quantum computing be that efficient? Can you give me a superposition example? And—be honest—can I gift my partner a quantum computer?” I knew you’d be the kind of reader who wants the full story once you realize those delivery-window dreams might come true. So let’s circle back to qubits, superposition, and a famous thought experiment—starring our friend Oppi—to make these ideas click.
Leaving Oppi in the Office Over the Weekend
Quantum mechanics can feel purpose-built to give us headaches, but it comes into focus when we revisit mental experiments like Schrödinger’s Cat—the classic setup for explaining superposition, where something can sit in multiple states at once. In that scenario, a cat sealed in a box is simultaneously alive and dead, its fate hinging on a randomly decaying radioactive particle. It’s a paradox that highlights just how weird superposition really is. To be honest, radioactive atoms and hypothetical feline fatalities are a bit grim for my taste. And who wants to stuff a cat in a box anyway? So let’s give Schrödinger’s cat the weekend off and bring in Oppi, Fast Company’s resident office mascot.
Now picture Oppi spending the entire weekend alone in the office. He’s got food, water, and every favorite napping spot—plus a toy built around a randomly decaying atom. If that atom happens to decay while we’re away, it will launch Oppi into a whirlwind of activity, amped up with more energy than he knows what to do with—basically a cat on a catnip-spiked Red Bull.
Come Monday morning, when we unlock the door, we have no idea what scene awaits us. Did Oppi snooze peacefully, leaving everything immaculate? Did he hop onto a keyboard and start typing away? Or did he morph into a feline Tom Cruise, turning pens into chew toys and shredding the curtains while reenacting Mission: Impossible? Until you look, every outcome is simultaneously real—just like quantum superposition. In effect, the universe branches into all possibilities until the moment of observation, when the quantum wavefunction collapses and a single reality snaps into place.
That’s the mind-bending core of quantum mechanics: it’s not about ignorance; the system genuinely exists in multiple states at once. And that’s what hands quantum computing its superpowers—solving problems by exploring every possibility in parallel, then collapsing to the optimal answer only when measured, slicing runtimes from billions of years to mere seconds.
Now that we have a solid grasp of how quantum computing works, let’s zoom in on what that means—both right now and in the near future. We’ll look at the field’s current status; its impact on cybersecurity, drug discovery, and machine learning; and the everyday optimizations that could make the world run cleaner and on schedule. We’ll finish with some practical steps for getting started and a few thoughts on what Quantum AI might mean for the next wave of artificial-intelligence breakthroughs.
Where does quantum computing stand today?
As I write this, quantum tech is still in its infancy, yet the leaps forward in recent years are nothing short of remarkable. The towering challenge remains the same: corralling enough qubits that stay coherent long enough to deliver reliable, large-scale results. That requires shielding them from the environment and chilling them to temperatures near absolute zero—a truly daunting feat. If you’re wondering just how cold a qubit needs to be, it’s colder than outer space—quite possibly the coldest spot in the universe, at about –273 °C.
When you look at a photo of a quantum computer, it’s easy to mistake the intricate refrigeration rig—tangles of wiring, gold-plated structures, and vacuum tubes—for the computer itself. The real processor is the high-end chip buried inside all that hardware. Keeping those qubits stable—preventing decoherence caused by heat, vibration, or even the faintest electromagnetic nudge—is a central focus of the field, because a single qubit slipping out of state sprays errors and torpedoes any carefully crafted algorithm.
The two primary players on the planet are the United States and China, locked in a race for quantum supremacy across domains such as quantum communication, quantum internet, quantum encryption, and even military uses—think quantum-equipped satellites for ultra-secure links. Quantum technologies now sit on the same national-security pedestal as cutting-edge AI models and semiconductors. That said, other nations are also pressing ahead with their own quantum strategies and opportunities—France, Russia, South Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to name a few.
Quantum Supremacy and Quantum Economic Advantage
Although the labels sound like something straight out of a Marvel comic, these are two milestones every fully functional—and economically viable—quantum computer must hit. Quantum supremacy will arrive the moment a quantum machine can solve a problem that a classical computer simply cannot tackle within realistic limits of time or complexity.
Has supremacy already been achieved? That depends on whom you ask, and the debate can get heated enough to make theoretical physicists raise their voices. Google, NASA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Fujitsu, and others have all announced various degrees of supremacy for highly specific tasks. Yet hardware constraints and a lack of large-scale scalability keep those claims limited for now. Personally, I wouldn’t declare true supremacy until we have a general-purpose quantum computer that cracks a wide range of problems, at scale, consistently. Still, we’re inching forward—step by step.
Quantum economic advantage is the other key milestone for the field: we’ll reach it when quantum computers can be successfully deployed to solve problems with clear economic value. So far, the biggest wins have come from niche use-cases and quantum-inspired algorithms running on classical hardware, while their fully quantum cousins are still stretching on the sidelines, waiting for their star turn.
Simulating Molecules & Health Care
One of the greatest promises of quantum machines is their ability to simulate the very molecules that cause diseases, cancers, and other ailments, giving researchers and physicians a deeper understanding of how—and why—these conditions arise. That same power opens the door to designing far more precise, effective drugs at the molecular level to battle those illnesses head-on. IBM, for instance, is already trial-running quantum computers with several hospitals to accelerate quantum adoption in health care.
There could come a day when quantum computing, paired with advanced AI, makes most of today’s diseases treatable—or even curable. It’s a future many of us would welcome, and one that the most optimistic roadmaps place around 2030, when fully functional quantum computers are expected to arrive.
Artificial Intelligence
The combination of quantum computing with artificial intelligence presents the real opportunity to unlock incredible algorithmic power for the next iterations of advanced AI models, from the ability to process and sort the largest datasets faster and more cost-effectively, to developing enhanced machine learning algorithms. Advancements in quantum-powered AI applications would be applicable to just about every industry, in every country.
It’s also believed that the combination of quantum computing with frontier artificial intelligence models would serve as the foundation for technically reaching artificial general intelligence (AGI). While this is a hotly debated topic, with experts estimating AGI will never arrive and others believing that it’s already starting to show up in the industry, only time will tell. I, for one, agree with my colleagues who are more optimistic about AGI becoming a reality in the coming decade as AI and quantum computing continue to unlock challenges that were previously thought impossible.
Optimization
All companies and organizations, regardless of size, face daily optimization challenges related to complex processes. Whether it’s a financial firm aspiring to balance the portfolios of their clients or trading desks in as close to real-time as possible, engineers looking to improve the efficiency of batteries with new designs, or companies looking to optimize their supply chains with improved logistics, in every case, quantum computers may play a key role in advancing these goals at scale.
Imagine a large company with 5,000 delivery trucks making daily deliveries with roughly 20,000 possible routes available for each truck. Identifying the optimal route might take a classical computer roughly a week to calculate, as each route took 30 seconds to analyze. Not ideal, as deliveries have to be updated daily. In contrast, a quantum computer can perform the same calculations in a matter of seconds.
Not only would a quantum computer be able to adapt routes in real-time for all the trucks making deliveries, ensuring that you have an exact delivery time, but it would also help avoid those pesky porch pirates who love to steal packages. But there are also real-world climate impacts from optimized routes, such as saving massive amounts of fuel.
Using the 5,000 truck example above, if each truck saved only one liter of fuel daily thanks to optimized routes, that would equate to 1,825,000 fewer liters of fuel being consumed and emitted into the environment. Now, imagine all companies using quantum computers across their supply chains with similar or better savings, and you quickly get the picture.
Cybersecurity
A major risk frequently mentioned is the potential of quantum computing to break current encryption standards. If and when quantum supremacy is achieved, we could find ourselves in a world without secrets or digital security. Insurance companies, banks, governments, online photo storage services, you name it, use encryption to protect our data.
There is a significant trend of “steal now, decrypt later,” where malicious actors or governments gather encrypted data that is unbreakable with today's supercomputers but would be breakable with a quantum computer.
In theory, this is possible, but it’s important to note that no such system currently exists. It’s still potentially a ways off, but here is what you should consider. Since we don’t have an exact date for when fully operational quantum computers will come online, consider upgrading the encryption of your more sensitive data from its classical encryption standard to a post-quantum encryption standard. Fortunately, numerous companies are offering these services. Powered by, you guessed it, quantum technologies.
Financial institutions and other institutions handling highly sensitive information might even consider quantum key distribution and quantum cryptography solutions for transmitting data; however, they have considerable costs and risks if not thoughtfully deployed.
How to get started in quantum computing
Use Cases: Think of different problems that exist in your industry or company that are currently too complex, too slow, or too difficult to solve. As you dig more into quantum-inspired algorithms and pure quantum applications, you can start to uncover where quantum computing may be applied to solve those problems.
Start Small: Start using quantum systems available via the cloud to get a feel for how they work, what training your team needs, and how you will define your quantum competitive advantage in the coming years.
Post-Quantum Encryption: All firms with valuable information would be well-advised to start exploring post-quantum encryption to protect their data. Remember the old adage, “steal now, decrypt later,” has never been more poignant.
Right Timing: Understand that quantum computing is a question of “when” and not “if” it will come to market. So, it’s absolutely a topic for business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and governments to start planning for.
My job here is done; if you made it this far, it means I have piqued your interest in this incredible new technology developing the next great leaps for humankind. Now you understand where the industry stands, how superposition works, we saved Oppi from being put in a box, and what some of the main applications of this amazing technology are. However, there is still much we didn’t cover, like how it can be used to design better nuclear reactors, develop more effective fertilizers for food security, and many other applications that you will discover as you continue your journey. So now, take that quantum leap into your future!
This piece was first featured in Fast Company México, Spring 2025, print edition (p. 80):
https://www.magzter.com/MX/Fast-Company-M%C3%A9xico/Fast-Company-M%C3%A9xico/Business/2044668
