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Quantum computing: find out where it could help, before the hardware is ready.
Quantum computers are improving quickly, but they are not yet a faster replacement for the servers you run today. We help you understand what they will and will not change for your organization, protect your data against the security risk they create, and prototype the problems where they may eventually help.
The basics
What quantum computers do differently
A classical computer works with bits that are either 0 or 1. A quantum computer works with qubits, which can hold a combination of both states and can be linked, or entangled, with one another. For a small set of problem types, algorithms that use these properties can in principle explore possibilities far more efficiently than any classical method.
That set is narrower than the headlines suggest. The strongest candidates are simulating molecules and materials, certain optimization and sampling problems, and breaking some of the public-key encryption the internet relies on. For most everyday computing, including databases, websites, reporting and most AI, quantum computers offer no advantage and are not expected to.
Today's machines are also small and noisy: qubits lose their state quickly, and errors build up as a calculation runs. Large, error-corrected quantum computers are the goal of every major hardware program, but nobody can say with confidence when they will arrive.
What we do
Four ways we help
Our quantum work is organized around the questions organizations most often ask about it. Three of them have pages of their own with more detail: post-quantum cryptography, quantum optimization and healthcare and life sciences. The fourth, a readiness review, is described below and is often the right place to begin.
What we do
- Post-quantum cryptography: find exposed encryption and plan the move to the new standards
- Quantum optimization: prototype scheduling, routing and portfolio problems against a classical baseline
- Healthcare and life sciences: support research teams exploring quantum methods
- Quantum readiness: a briefing and roadmap for leaders who need to plan without the hype
How we build
Simulators first, real hardware when it is worth it
We write quantum prototypes in open-source toolkits such as Qiskit, which let the same circuit run on a laptop simulator or on real quantum hardware. Simulators cost nothing, are fast for small problems and give exact answers, so they are where we check that an algorithm is correct and compare it with a classical method.
When a test on real hardware will tell you something a simulator cannot, such as how noise affects the result, the major cloud providers offer access to quantum machines by the job, with nothing to buy. Most of the work, though, sits on the classical side: preparing data, encoding the problem, and reading and checking the results. These hybrid quantum-classical designs are how quantum computing is used today, and how it will most likely be used for years.
Quantum readiness
A plan your leadership can act on
For many organizations the right first step is not a prototype at all. It is a clear view of three things: which of your data and systems are exposed to future quantum attacks, which of your hard problems might one day suit quantum methods, and what is worth doing now versus watching.
A readiness review gives you that view in writing. It covers your cryptography at a high level, your candidate use cases with an honest rating for each, and a short roadmap that separates the urgent, which is usually the security work, from the speculative.
What we do
- A leadership briefing in plain language
- A high-level review of cryptographic exposure
- Candidate use cases, each rated for fit
- A roadmap: act now, prototype, or watch
Questions
Common questions
When will quantum computers be useful for business?
Nobody knows precisely, and it is wise to be wary of anyone who gives a firm date. Hardware is improving every year, and some narrow scientific uses may arrive first. For planning, it is safer to treat the security risk as near-term and the computing benefits as longer-term.
Do we need to buy quantum hardware?
No. Prototypes run on simulators on ordinary computers, and real quantum hardware is available through cloud services when a test calls for it. Very few organizations will ever own a quantum computer.
Is quantum-inspired computing the same as quantum computing?
No. Quantum-inspired algorithms borrow ideas from quantum methods but run on classical hardware. They are available today and sometimes perform well on optimization problems, so we often test them alongside true quantum approaches.
What do we get at the end of a quantum engagement?
A written readout, the code we wrote, and a recommendation: proceed, wait, or stop. When the recommendation is to wait, the readout says what would have to change for the answer to be different.
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Wondering what quantum computing means for you?
Start with a readiness conversation. We will cover the security risk, the candidate problems and what is worth doing this year.
Tell us what you are working on
A few lines is enough. The engineers who do this work will reply within one business day.
Or email it.services@princetonits.com or call +1 (212) 507-9350.