# AI tie-in accelerates quantum usefulness, early adopters say > Source: > Published: 2026-07-09 13:25:11+00:00 [Quantum computers](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4117438/quantum-computing-is-getting-closer-but-quantum-proof-encryption-remains-elusive.html) are still two to five years away from full-scale production, but early users like the Cleveland Clinic and Mitsubishi Chemical are already seeing benefits, particularly when quantum is used in conjunction with AI and high-performance computing. “We are starting to see real applications of it,” says [Lara Jehi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lara-jehi-md-mhcds-67278a45/), chief research information officer at Cleveland Clinic, and one of the keynote speakers at the [Quantum Tech World conference in Boston](https://www.alphaevents.com/events-quantumtechus/faq) in late June. And the technology is moving faster than anyone could have predicted, she tells *Network World*. For example, in the fall of 2024, the largest simulation that [quantum computers](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4115513/what-enterprises-think-about-quantum-computing.html) could handle was just ten atoms, she says. “Roadmaps in the industry were hypothesizing that getting past the 10,000-atom threshold would take another five to seven years.” This year, the Cleveland Clinic simulated protein complexes of [up to 12,635 atoms](https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2026/05/05/cleveland-clinic-riken-and-ibm-model-a-12635-atom-protein--the-largest-known-to-be-simulated-with-quantum-computers). “We would not have been able to do the same analysis classically,” she says. But even a protein of this size is still too small to be clinically relevant, she adds. For something with real-world applications, you’d need to be in the ballpark of a million atoms. And that’s not out of reach. “I think we’re very close, I’m very confident,” she says. “One or two years.” And even today, by [combining quantum computing with AI running on classical computers](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4144645/ibm-proposes-unified-architecture-for-hybrid-quantum-classical-computing.html), it’s possible to do interesting work. For example, simulating how well a compound will bind to a protein in real time is too big a problem for either AI or a quantum computer to handle on its own. “But AI can do a good job identifying where in that large molecule are the particular spots where you need that extra layer of accuracy,” she says. “We use classical computing up front to identify these highest tier fragments and then zoom in to those fragments with the higher resolution that quantum can provide for better simulation.” Mitsubishi Chemical has been experimenting with quantum computing since 2018, for quantum chemical calculations and optimization problems, and the technology works. “We want to try to have it in production use by the end of this year, or maybe the beginning of next year,” says Qi Gao, distinguished scientist in the materials design laboratory of the [Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mitsubishi-chemical-america/posts/) Science and Innovation Center. The first use cases will be in advanced semiconductor materials, helping design new materials for computer chips. “Two-nanometer chips require high energy resolution, which is impossible for classical computer simulations,” he says. “So, we have to use quantum computers.” The plan is to simulate metal oxide, which is a photo-resistant material used in etching patterns into computer chips. This is a simulation that cannot be done classically, Gao says. It will take a couple of years to fully develop the algorithms to make it work, he says, but the industry is moving towards practical business use. “Every company is looking at 2028, 2029, or 2030,” he says. “We think 2028 and 2029 will be very important years in quantum computing.” [SoftBank Corp.](https://www.softbank.jp/en/) is looking at a similar timeframe for commercializing its quantum computing offerings. The company connects customers to IBM and [Quantinuum](https://www.quantinuum.com/) machines at Riken through its AI data center, with 21 pilot projects now ongoing with pilot customers. “Within our AI data center, we have already built the supercomputer level,” says [Nobushige Oguri](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nobushige-oguri-2949525/), director of the quantum business planning department of the quantum technology divisions at SoftBank Corp. “It’s a world-class supercomputer, but it’s just set up for processing AI. The quantum computer will be the new accelerator to enhance current AI capability.” It’s this [hybrid use](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4131660/ibm-research-when-ai-and-quantum-merge.html) of AI and quantum together that will accelerate adoption, he tells *Network World*. [Juliette Peyronnet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliette-peyronnet05/), U.S. general manager at [Alice & Bob](https://alice-bob.com/), agrees that the hybrid approach is the best bet, with quantum computers augmenting today’s technology, not replacing it. “Quantum processing units are very specialized devices,” she says. “They can’t solve your everyday problems. They’re really bad at doing basic math.” Instead, just like the way that CPUs do the bulk of computing work and GPUs are used for AI-related tasks, quantum processors will be used to handle the challenges that traditional computers can’t tackle. “We know that quantum computers are not going to work in isolation,” she says. Another sign that quantum computing is starting to move out of the laboratory and into real-world use is the emergence of a quantum ecosystem, with multiple hardware and software providers filling in all the gaps. “I’ve been 15 years in field, as a researcher and now as a CEO, and it’s been changing dramatically and accelerating very fast,” says [Marta Estarellas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpestarellas/), CEO at [Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech](https://qilimanjaro.tech/), a quantum computing company based in Spain that makes superconducting qubits. And, today, quantum computing companies no longer need to make every single component from scratch, she says. “Now what you see are a lot of spinoffs and startups starting to build different layers of the supply chain,” she tells *Network World*. “Which is great. Players like ours don’t have to think about building the full stack and can delegate to third parties—and that really helps push forward the technology.” The [Quantum Tech World conference](https://iqnhub.org/event/quantum-tech-2026/) showcases this ecosystem, she says. According to conference organizers, more than 1,300 people attended this year, and there were more than one hundred sponsors. Among them were multiple quantum computer makers, including [Quantum Computing Inc.,](https://quantumcomputinginc.com/) a maker of room-temperature photonic computers, which ran a real-time demo of a fraud detection algorithm that beat the best classical method and scales linearly with data set size instead of quadratically. There were also software companies, consulting firms, and other specialized providers. “Our booth has been packed,” says [Jason Silbergleit](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-silbergleit/), head of Americas at [Classiq](https://www.classiq.io/), an orchestration software company that provides an abstraction layer that makes it easier for non-scientists to build quantum applications. “More and more users want to take advantage of the platform. Even in the past six months—three months—the amount of acceleration and interest is growing.” “We’re shifting from very fundamental and exploratory, building one-off kinds of systems and devices, to making things that are scalable,” says [Celia Merzbacher](https://quantumconsortium.org/speakers/celia-merzbacher/), executive director at the [Quantum Economic Development Consortium](https://quantumconsortium.org/speakers/celia-merzbacher/). “And within a timeframe that private investors and end users are willing to start to engage.” The momentum is apparent on a number of fronts, she tells *Network World*. Quantum companies are getting new rounds of investment, and governments are making commitments. According to a [report](https://quantumconsortium.org/publication/2026-state-of-the-global-quantum-industry-report/) her organization released in April, there are now 556 pure-play quantum companies and more than 7,000 “quantum-engaged” organizations. The quantum industry saw $1.9 billion in revenues in 2025, up 30% from the year before. There was also $12.7 billion in new government funding commitments last year, up more than 300% from 2024, and $4.9 billion in new private venture capital investment, an increase of nearly 200%. “And the number of people who are really rolling up their sleeves and doing the work that needs to be done to advance the hardware and the software—I think there’s just a momentum that is quite visible,” she says.