As businesses and governments race to unlock AI’s potential, another historic shift in technology is fast approaching: quantum computing.

In the coming years, quantum and AI will reinforce one another, becoming one of the most transformative combinations in technology. Organizations that prepare now will define the next era of competitiveness. “Fast followers” will quickly fall behind in a quantum era; the advantage curve begins early.

Quantum operates by the laws of quantum mechanics, which opens up a richer mathematical space that quantum algorithms can leverage. This allows it to tackle applications outside of the reach of classical computing, including AI. But quantum is not a replacement for AI, and it’s crucial to understand how they relate to one another. AI identifies patterns, predicts outcomes, and generates insights from existing data. Quantum computing unlocks new scientific discoveries, simulating complex physical and chemical systems and modeling interactions that classical computers cannot efficiently handle. When combined, AI models will accelerate the development of quantum code, and quantum computing will help AI process data faster and more efficiently.

We are making steady progress toward quantum advantage -- the point at which a quantum computer can run a computation more accurately, cheaply, or efficiently than a classical computer. But businesses are already demonstrating that when we get there, the value will be very real. We’re especially proud of the progress being made through the IBM Quantum Network, which includes more than 300 members across industries, academic institutions, startups, and national labs who partner with us to advance quantum research and discovery.

For example, Cleveland Clinic is exploring the simulation of molecules that are essential to many pharmaceutical science processes. Boeing is examining materials and corrosion. HSBC has demonstrated better bond pricing. And Vanguard has shown better portfolio optimization.

Earlier this year, scientists at Japan’s RIKEN research institute and IBM achieved an important milestone. They used the entirety of one of the world’s leading high-performance computing systems, the Fugaku supercomputer, together with an on-premises IBM Quantum Heron processor to calculate the electronic structure of a pair of complex iron-sulfur molecules -- the largest and most accurate chemistry experiment performed at the time on a quantum computer.

Another top priority in the coming quantum era is security. Quantum computers will be powerful enough to break today's encryption. Fortunately, we know how to address this threat. In the U.S., IBM has partnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop two of the three currently published post-quantum cryptography standards. In addition, we’ve created a robust portfolio of “quantum safe” solutions to help organizations protect everything from commercial transactions to customer data to messaging applications. It will become increasingly important for governments to mandate post-quantum encryption standards for companies and organizations to quantum-proof their systems and data.

But security policy is only one dimension of quantum readiness. Another is acknowledging today that these systems will become a reality very soon. Since 2016, IBM has deployed more than 85 quantum systems globally. We also unveiled a path to build the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, IBM Quantum Starling, by 2029. Because quantum computing is built on entirely different mathematics than classical systems, organizations should start to prepare now.

Develop a realistic timeline for quantum adoption within your organization and identify the internal experts who can take you there. Build quantum skills -- organizations that develop this fluency now will have a distinct advantage. Identify two to three use cases where AI+quantum could accelerate value in your organization. Prepare for post-quantum security and the integrity of your data. Experiment with cloud-accessible quantum systems through partnerships with universities and vendors. By learning to use the quantum computers of today, you will save a massive amount of time in leveraging the more powerful systems of tomorrow.

By taking these steps, we can advance a future in which quantum and AI combine through quantum-centric supercomputing to solve problems that no single paradigm can solve alone. AI is reshaping what we can do with information. Quantum will reshape what we can discover. The next era of innovation won’t be powered by AI or quantum alone, but by the organizations ready to harness both.