Toolchains can help drive development work in quantum computing and ease future adoption, but quantum computers are unlikely to replace their traditional counterparts as organisations look to operate hybrid environments.
Semiconductor players, for one, have seen significant success not only from having good chip design, but also from offering complete toolchains to fuel the development of their products, noted Miles Upton, Asia regional manager at Cambridge Consultants. Part of global consulting firm CapGemini, Cambridge Consultants provides product development and consulting services in deep tech, including quantum and artificial intelligence (AI).
Engineers were motivated to design applications for ARM and Nvidia chips, for instance, because the toolchains made it easy to do so, Upton said in a video interview with FutureCIO.
Toolchains are a suite of tools that are used to develop software and often are built to run in sequence, working collectively to automate tasks and reduce the potential for errors in the software development process.
In emerging technology segments such quantum computing, where there still is a lack of skills, such tools will be critical to facilitate development work in future, Upton said.
The challenge, though, is that the various sets of toolchains work in different ways and are designed to solve different problems, he said, adding that such tools typically are released by a handful of major commercial market players.
For instance, IBM, a key player in the market, currently contributes more than half of tools designed for quantum technology, he noted.
And with the quantum ecosystem still small, compared to others such as AI, he added that there are few toolchains available for developers to work with.
He urged the need for more tools to be released, including some form of industry standards, to help drive development work and adoption in quantum computing.
Upton estimates that it likely will take another five to 10 years before viable quantum systems are ready for commercialisation.
According to Research from Economist Impact, 83% of quantum professionals believe quantum utility, where hardware and error correction issues in quantum computers are resolved, will be achieved in 10 years or faster.
One-third believe this will be reached within five years, while 3% think quantum utility is at least 30 years away, noted the study, which polled 72 respondents whose work involved quantum technology or research.
Some 82% point to technical challenges, in particular error correction, as the main barrier, while 75% highlight the lack of skills as a critical issue.
Plugging the gaps to prepare for quantum
Meanwhile, some governments have begun setting aside resources to build up their local quantum capabilities.
Singapore, for instance, is taking a positive step forward with its focus on talent development, Upton said.
He noted that there are currently only 100 professionals who can program a quantum computer and this poses a major challenge for the market.
If adoption grows and the technology becomes critical, countries will need the skillsets to support this, he said.
Singapore in April unveiled financial support for three local startups -- cloudsineAI, Cyber Sierra, and pQCee -- to facilitate work to address risks associated with emerging technologies, such as quantum computing.
The Singapore startups focus on solutions for such threats, including quantum decryption risks and GenAI-powered attacks. They are amongst recipients of a US$15 million fund supported by the CyberSG Talent Innovation and Growth Collaboration Centre. The initiative is a joint initiative between Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency and National University of Singapore.
Singapore in March also announced its hybrid quantum-classical computing initiative to focus on integrating quantum computing with classical high-performance computing. Supported by a SG$24.5 million grant from the National Research Foundation, the initiative includes research work in hybrid computing middleware, algorithms, and software tools to facilitate the integration.
For some market players, quantum can provide growth opportunities.
A March 2025 report from Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) estimated that global quantum revenue hit US$1.45 billion last year, which included $1.07 billion from quantum computing. This segment is further forecast to grow an average 27% annually to reach $2.2 billion in 2027.
QED-C noted that there were 513 pure-play market players focused on quantum technology last year, while another 6,000 organisations -- including academia -- had set aside some resources for quantum.
Some 37% of market players are focused on hardware components, while 15% specialise in software and 15% work on quantum communications and security.
QED-C also estimated that there were 14,517 professionals working for pure-play quantum companies last year, with quantum-related job and internship openings totalling 7,400, an increase of 55% from 2021.
Governments had pledged another $3.1 billion to quantum technology last year, pushing the total public funding to $44.5 billion. China led in public investment, accounting for 34% of the total amount at $15 billion, followed by the US at $7.7 billion and the UK at $4.3 billion.
China last year also led the pack in the number of patents filed, according to QED-C. The Asian economic giant accounted for more than half of all quantum-related patent filings from 2020 to 2024, about four times more than the US.
Quantum computing has the potential to offer business benefits sooner for some verticals, such as logistics and pharmaceutical, where it can be applied to solve specific business challenges that bring significant returns, Upton said.
Its ability to speed up drug discovery, for instance, will provide tremendous cost savings for pharmaceutical companies, he said.
Quantum won’t edge out traditional computing
Despite its potential, however, quantum is unlikely to replace the need for traditional or classical computing systems, Upton said.
He noted that some business problems can be more efficiently solved with quantum computers, while others can be just as effectively managed with classical computers.
He expects computing environments in future to be heterogeneous, with a mix of classic, neuromorphic, and quantum computing platforms.
The distribution ratio of these systems also will vary, depending on the industries and problem statements that organisations are in or trying to solve, Upton explained. Pharmaceutical companies, for instance, may operate a computing environment comprising more quantum systems than classical ones.
For now, though, organisations that are exploring opportunities in quantum mostly are trying to understand the technology and figuring out how to best tap it for their business, he said.
There also is overlap with AI, which itself is fast-evolving as generative AI (GenAI) continues to see significant advancements, he added.
Meanwhile, organisations do have quantum-related security concerns, with 60% in Asia-Pacific pointing to the possibility that quantum computers could break current and future encryption as a top risk. Another 60% cite key distribution vulnerabilities, with concerns that quantum could compromise the secure exchange of encryption keys, according to the 2025 Thales Data Threat report.
Some 56% of respondents also highlight the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat, in which encrypted data today may be decrypted in future as quantum technology continues to advance, reveals the Thales report. The study polled more than 3,100 IT and security professionals across 20 markets globally, including Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Australia..
Some 47% of organisations in Asia-Pacific say they are reviewing their encryption strategies, while 59% are working on prototypes or evaluating post-quantum cryptography solutions, the report notes.
Upton underscored the need for organisations to take a strategic approach and manage quantum-related risks as part of their overall cybersecurity strategy.
He noted that it still is some ways off before quantum computers can potentially break encryption algorithms, with significant resources and investment needed to decrypt that data.
Rather than panic over the supposed “Q-Day”, often used to describe the day quantum computers can crack classical encryption, organisations should instead ensure they put in place strong data security policies and processes, he said.
They need to assess all their data and determine the longevity of the data, both in terms of short- and long-term needs, he added. This will enable them to decide what kind of security policies to apply.
For example, data that needs to be secured for only 24 hours will require a different level of encryption, compared to high-value and sensitive data. The latter requires more robust long-term security measures, including the potential need for quantum-safe encryption.
Organisations have to do a deep dive into their data, understand where their risks are, and what they need to protect, Upton said.
“That’s no different to how they should look at cybersecurity now,” he said.
