The quantum computing field has been an area of study for decades but, until recently, any practical implications of the technology have remained obscure. That’s set to change in the coming years, with the United Nations proclaiming 2025 as the ‘International Year of Quantum Science’, a century after the development of modern quantum theory.
While Moore’s law—where the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles roughly every two years—is reaching its limits in traditional computing, quantum computing technologies may once again pick up the pace. While today’s quantum computers have yet to definitively outperform classical computing architectures, growing consensus suggests that’s about to change.
Indeed, recent years have seen the quantum computing field buzzing with activity, especially in areas like AI model training and inference and cryptography. Major technology companies are now taking it more seriously—In April 2025, Fujitsu announced the development of a 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer, for example. Moreover, several major research initiatives are pushing boundaries around the world, with investors pouring more and more money into quantum computing startups.
Quantum computing applications will likely remain limited in scope in the near term, but executives at some major enterprises—such as Google—predict that more practical applications could emerge in the next five years. Others anticipate breakthroughs even sooner, encouraging companies to invest in quantum application development now—particularly in the case of quantum cryptography.
The growing urgency around quantum cryptography stems from the fact that near-future technologies could weaken current digital security foundations, which is heavily dependent on classical encryption. Even though it might be a long while before quantum computers exist at scale, adversaries could still store encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it once quantum technology allows. Moreover, post-quantum cryptography takes time to test and deploy, pushing governments and organizations to act now to prepare migration paths.
On top of the critical need to prepare for the cryptographic threat, quantum computing is also starting to show promise in other extremely data-intensive fields, such as drug discovery, financial modelling, and AI model training and development. Hardware will take a while to catch up, with early solutions focusing on hybrid quantum-classical architectures whereby quantum processors augment workflows in existing high-performance computing (HPC) environments.
Although quantum computing remains a niche area of study, now is the time for software companies to invest in algorithm research and development—especially with regards to cryptography. After all, the threats—as well as the opportunities—that quantum technologies pose are real. Standardization efforts and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms are already in the works, spearheaded by organizations like NIST.