New Survey Enterprise Adoption of Quantum Technology Surpasses Artificial Intelligence by 2022

On Jan. 11, Zapata Computing, a quantum software company derived from Harvard University, announced its second annual report on enterprise quantum computing applications. The report shows that enterprise quantum computing applications are deepening, indicating that the industry is maturing; at the same time, the urgency of post-quantum cybersecurity threats is increasing globally.

More interest in quantum computing for businesses in 2022

71% of respondents say their organization has invested more than $1 million in quantum

The majority (71%) of quantum-adopting organizations surveyed currently have a quantum computing budget of more than $1 million, indicating that growing interest in quantum is translating into spending. This finding represents a 2.5-fold increase from 2021, when only 28 percent of quantum adopters said their quantum computing budgets exceeded $1 million.

Quantum has moved from the conceptual stage to real implementation in the enterprise, with 33% of respondents believing their organization is in an early (29%) or mature (4%) state of adopting quantum computing; in 2022, 33% of respondents believe their organization is in an early (29%) or most mature (4%) state of adopting quantum computing, up from 29% in 2021.

Considering this positive shift in budgets, it is not surprising that 74% of business leaders have already adopted or plan to adopt quantum computing. Interestingly, nearly one-third (30%) of respondents who have adopted or plan to adopt quantum computing expect to see a competitive advantage from quantum computing in the next 12 months. This represents a more than seven-fold year-over-year increase from 2021 (4%), highlighting the growing commitment to near-term quantum computing plans as the technology continues to mature.

Christopher Savoie, CEO and co-founder of Zapata Computing, said, "We are taking a unique peek into the quantum adoption mindset of global business executives, which reflects what we are seeing in our customer base. The findings have become even more interesting than the data we saw last year. In the past 12 months, we have seen significant new developments in technology, particularly generative AI, as well as recent advantages from quantum-inspired technologies that have fueled momentum in planning and adoption of quantum computing. As a result, more companies are exploring the possibilities of today's hybrid quantum classical computing capabilities and how the potential of quantum computing could impact their competitive position, considerations that will ultimately affect their business outcomes."

Other key findings

1)       Machine learning and data analytics continue to be the leading quantum use cases. In addition to experimentation, enterprises are focused on defining clear use cases and problems, with 71% of quantum users indicating they are focused on machine learning/data analytics problems, up from 55% in 2021.

Expected quantum application areas

2) Vendor Lock-in (VL) concerns are nearly universal. Nearly all (91%) of respondents said they were concerned about vendor lock-in, which becomes an issue when a technology is about to be used to solve real-world, commercial-grade challenges. It is too early to tell which hardware architecture will prevail, and adopters are wary of implementing a paradigm that may not suit their long-term needs.

Institutional concerns about quantum computing vendor lock-in

3) Looming cybersecurity threats in the post-quantum era. In addition to being the biggest challenge to the adoption of quantum technologies cited by respondents, nearly two-thirds (65%) are extremely or very concerned about post-quantum cryptography (PQC), and 63% are actively working with vendors to prepare. These concerns reflect both the seriousness of the threat posed by quantum computers and the lack of clear and reliable solutions.

Level of concern about post-quantum cryptography

4)Integration challenges remain a barrier to adoption. The complexity of integrating quantum computing with existing IT stacks is second only to security concerns as the top barrier to adoption. The persistence of this challenge is also reflected in the top considerations for choosing a quantum vendor, with 51% prioritizing an easy-to-use solution and 50% prioritizing integration with existing IT.

Key vendor consideration criteria for 2021 vs. 2022

5)Expectations of better business outcomes drive quantum adoption. The primary motivation for exploring quantum computing is to drive better performance and business outcomes, cited by 70% of quantum adoption respondents, up from 60% in 2021.

Top motivations for exploring quantum computing: 2021 vs. 2022

6) Companies are taking tactical steps toward quantum applications. Companies are taking tactical steps to make quantum computing a reality, with respondents noting that they are building new applications (48%), running experiments on quantum hardware or simulators (62%), and experimenting and building proofs of concept (51%). Companies' activity in each of these steps has increased in 2022 compared to the previous year. The largest shift is in running experiments on quantum hardware, which grew from 48% of companies in 2021 to 62% in this year's study.

How can institutions prepare for quantum computing?

7) Quantum adoption rates exceed AI adoption rates. Business leaders say they are adopting quantum technology faster than artificial intelligence (AI). Nearly half (49%) of respondents said they are deploying quantum faster than they are deploying AI, and only 17% said they are moving at a slower pace.

Quantum computing adoption speed vs. artificial intelligence adoption speed

About Zapata Computing.

Founded in 2017, Zapata Computing, Inc. is a leading enterprise quantum software company. The company's Orquestra® platform supports research, development and deployment of quantum-ready applications® for the enterprise's most complex computing problems.Zapata pioneers new approaches to ML, optimization and simulation to maximize the value of near-term quantum devices and works with Amazon, D-Wave, Google, Nvidia, Quantinuum, IBM, IonQ and Rigetti, and other ecosystem hardware suppliers in close collaboration.

Original report：

https://zapata.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Survey-2022_FINAL.pdf

Reference link：

https://www.zapatacomputing.com/news/new-study-more-than-two-thirds-of-quantum-adopting-global-enterprises-dedicated-at-least-1m-to-quantum-computing-initiatives-in-2022/