Survey Shows How Quantum AI Is The Next Wave

Quantum computing and related technologies like quantum AI are regarded as the next big wave after AI. A global survey of 500 business leaders across industries found that interest in quantum is very high, with more than 60% of respondents indicating they are actively investing or exploring opportunities in quantum AI.

Yet these business leaders also cited crucial barriers to the adoption of quantum AI. Among their top concerns were high cost (38%), lack of understanding or knowledge (35%), and uncertainty around practical, real-world uses (31%). The survey results indicate that while interest in quantum AI is on the rise, organisations need a clear roadmap and guide to better leverage this technology.

That’s where SAS, a leader in data and AI, can help. Through pilot projects with customers, quantum AI research and work with leaders in quantum computing, SAS aims to provide guidance to businesses on applying quantum technologies in their organisations.

SAS seeks to make quantum understandable and approachable to a broad audience so they can get to value faster without having to understand the complex quantum market or the physics behind the technology.

“For decades SAS has helped organisations across a host of industries find better answers faster and improve business decisions through data and AI. With the emergence of quantum technologies, companies can analyse more data than ever and achieve amazingly fast answers to very complex questions involving myriad variables,” said Bill Wisotsky, Principal Quantum Architect at SAS. “Our goal is to make quantum research simple and intuitive for our customers and help them apply it to their business.”

Working with top companies

A major consumer goods company is working with SAS on a proof of concept related to hybrid quantum-classical optimisation, using quantum annealing and SAS classical optimisation solvers.

It is one of several organisations with whom SAS is collaborating to apply data and AI to complex and compute-intensive business challenges. Quantum AI and advanced models can take advantage of the significant speed increase and expressibility of quantum computers.

Today’s research into quantum computing and quantum AI is extremely complex, at times confusing, and too often cloaked in hype. And many predict widespread adoption of quantum technology to be years away.

Yet SAS is already tackling real-world problems by applying hybrid architectures, which include both quantum and traditional (a.k.a. classical) computing. And SAS is working with top companies to explore breakthrough solutions to business challenges.

Research into quantum AI

Quantum AI brings together quantum computing and AI to develop new algorithms, models and systems that can process complex data, train complicated machine learning models, and solve problems considered challenging or impossible with traditional computers. SAS researchers are focused on key industries that will benefit from the speed and scale of quantum AI, including life sciences for enhanced drug discovery, financial services for better risk management, and manufacturing for improved materials and optimised processes.