Quantum Opinion

Q-Day Is the Wrong Deadline

Poonam Parihaar — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:10:15 GMT

The quantum industry has spent years debating Q-Day » the point at which a cryptographically relevant quantum computer can break the public-key systems protecting digital communications, identities and software. The date matters. But it is the wrong deadline for most organisations.

No board can schedule investment around a date that remains fundamentall…

AI Is Stress-Testing Post-Quantum Cryptography Before Quantum Computers Arrive

Poonam Parihaar — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 14:53:12 GMT

For years, the story around quantum computing and cyber security has been relatively simple: one day, sufficiently capable quantum computers may be able to break much of the public-key cryptography that protects the internet, financial systems, software updates and sensitive communications.

That threat is real. But it is no longer the whole story.

A newer…

A Network Is Not Yet Evidence of Standards Adoption or Commercial Impact

Poonam Parihaar — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:07:34 GMT

The United Kingdom has made a notable intervention in the global effort to commercialize quantum technology. In June, the government committed £10 million to create the Quantum Standards Network (QSN), a national initiative managed by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s national metrology institute. It brings together government, industry, …

Nobody Knows How to Make the Same Qubit Twice!

Poonam Parihaar — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 10:49:35 GMT

In my previous article, “Quantum Is Now a Procurement Problem, Not a Research Problem”, I argued that the quantum industry is moving beyond laboratory prestige. Buyers are increasingly asking whether quantum systems can be integrated, secured, supported and delivered against a real operational requirement and not merely demonstrated in controlled condit…

Quantum Is Now a Procurement Problem, Not a Research Problem

Poonam Parihaar — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:56:56 GMT

For much of the past decade, quantum has been sold as a research race.

The scoreboard was familiar: qubit counts, coherence times, error rates, funding rounds, landmark papers and increasingly cinematic promises about machines that would one day change chemistry, logistics, finance and national security. Nothing wrong with that narrative, really, and re…

Qubits Don’t Matter. Outcomes Do.

Poonam Parihaar — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:56:40 GMT

Quantum’s first commercially important breakthrough may be invisible, and it may not even look like one.

There may be no consumer application, no household product, and no single launch moment that makes quantum computing suddenly understandable to everyone. Instead, the technology may first become valuable in places where most people never see it: resea…

GPS Is Not the Whole PNT Story

Poonam Parihaar — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:27:32 GMT

At Farnborough airshow last month, one of the more striking displays was a drone hanging beneath a simple promise: GPS-free quantum navigation.

The demo came from Q-CTRL, but the company is not really the story here. The interesting thing was the problem statement. In a world where positioning, navigation and timing are assumed to be permanently availabl…

Building the Quantum Economy -2 Why Quantum Advantage Is Not Enough!

Poonam Parihaar — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:20:23 GMT

My previous essay began with quantum roadmaps. the plans that banks, technology companies and governments are creating to understand where quantum computing may fit into their future.

That was the right place to start.

A roadmap provides structure in a field that is still developing quickly. It helps organisations connect advances in hardware, software, …

Quantum Computers Keep Making Mistakes. This Week, They Got Much Better at Fixing Them

Poonam Parihaar — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 11:27:02 GMT

Artist’s rendering of a Tetris-like control system that routes shared signals efficiently between qubits, reducing bottlenecks in quantum computers. Credit: Chalmers University of Technology / Boid

Quantum had one of its busier weeks in 2026, spanning hardware breakthroughs, real-world networking tests, error-correction theory, business earnings, defense…

Building the Quantum Economy -1 From Curiosity to Infrastructure: how banks are wiring quantum into finance

Poonam Parihaar — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 21:14:08 GMT

When banks stand up at Quantum.Tech World and present quantum roadmaps, they are telling the market something fundamental - quantum is transitioning from scientific curiosity to critical infrastructure.

BBVA shows how to prove business value with focused pilots on real finance problems and reusable adoption frameworks. Wells Fargo shows how to run a long…

The Window of Light: Why Silicon Photonics Is Becoming Strategic Infrastructure for AI and Quantum

Poonam Parihaar — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:49:23 GMT

Silicon photonics now sits at the intersection of three powerful currents:

semiconductor manufacturing,
AI hardware, and
quantum sensing and communications.

In 2026, those currents are converging into a global infrastructure story about whether regions like the US, Europe, and the UK can build, own, and scale the fabs, pilot lines, and talent needed to …

Quantum computing for database optimisation

Poonam Parihaar — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 11:51:21 GMT

Quantum computing is starting to matter in places businesses actually feel: speed, efficiency, and decision-making.

A new USC research project is exploring how quantum processors could help databases make better decisions about how to run queries, schedule transactions, and choose indexes. The work is backed by a five-year NSF CAREER Award worth $627,250…

Quantum‑Safe Deadlines Just Got Real

Poonam Parihaar — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:27:01 GMT

If you thought “quantum‑safe security” was something for the distant future, think again. Big players and governments have moved their deadlines much closer, and that changes the game for everyone.

What Just Happened?

Microsoft has decided it wants to be “quantum‑safe” by 2029, pulling its internal deadline forward by four years. Google has also brought i…