Why Quantum?

By enabling a better understanding of materials and chemical processes at the most fundamental level, quantum algorithms will help scientists and engineers tackle today's sustainability challenges. These applications include investigating greener catalysts for agriculture and industry, developing more efficient batteries for energy storage and electric vehicles, and designing corrosion-resistant and sustainable materials for aerospace and manufacturing.

One of the main applications of quantum computers is to accurately model scientific processes at the atomic-scale, empowering us to better understand and address global health challenges. For example, when researching and designing new medicines and drugs, the critical step is determining a molecule's electronic structure. Modelling the structure of a common drug like penicillin, which has 41 atoms at ground state, would require a classical computer with around 10⁸⁶ bits — more transistors than there are atoms in the observable universe — making it physically impossible. However, a quantum computer with only 286 qubits could handle this task.

Another impactful use case for quantum computers is solving large-scale optimisation problems, which every industry and company encounters in some form. These problems involve finding the best way to minimize or maximize a specific metric, often with billions of variables at play—too complex for classical algorithms to handle efficiently within a human lifetime. Quantum computers excel at addressing these challenges, managing the vast number of variables and complex interactions simultaneously. This makes them ideal for optimising global supply chains, energy grids, and much more.