Exploring quantum computing use cases for electronics

The electronics industry faces a myriad of challenges.

The cost of the latest generation of semiconductor manufacturing facilities is as much as $25 billion. The design of electronics products grows more complex while expansion in some of the largest traditional markets, such as smartphones, is leveling off. And as design and manufacturing have become increasingly difficult over the past 50 years, the industry’s performance improvements have slowed down.

In brief, the industry’s current path is becoming more challenging, risky, and expensive. And this will be felt beyond electronics: as an enabling technology, electronics are used by practically every industry. How the electronics industry responds to its challenges today could impact almost every sector of the global economy.

Enabling growth in the electronics industry

Quantum computing is a fundamentally new computing paradigm. It leverages phenomena that simply do not exist in classical physics—which, in turn, can enable computation that hasn’t been possible to date.

Quantum computing may offer the electronics industry a powerful tool to help tackle some of its biggest problems.

Just as IBM has been innovating chip technology for decades, we have also been at the forefront of quantum computing. In 1981, IBM co-hosted the first conference on quantum computing. In 2016, IBM was the first to make quantum computers publicly available. By providing access to quantum computers, IBM enabled researchers and developers around the world to innovate new quantum algorithms and accelerate advances in quantum computing.

We now have entered the Quantum Decade. Leaders who aren’t learning more about quantum computing—and how it can impact their operations—could find themselves falling behind.

While quantum computing quickly evolves, much of the early intellectual property may be proprietary. Quantum computing ranked among the top 5 fastest-growing areas for patent filings from 2017 to 2021. With quantum computing, there can be few fast followers.

3 quantum computing use cases for electronics

Quantum computing may help the electronics industry address its challenges in many ways. In this report, we provide 3 examples, or use cases, to illustrate quantum computing’s potential for the electronics industry in 3 major application areas—chemical simulation, optimization/search, and AI/machine learning. Use cases include:

1. Materials development. Advancing discovery and commercialization with quantum simulation

2. Product design. Accelerating development and verification with quantum search

3. Smarter manufacturing. Helping to improve yields and reduce costs, while improving quality with quantum machine learning

Quantum computing holds the potential to deeply disrupt today’s electronics industry. But let’s be clear: Quantum computing isn’t intuitive or easy. It takes time and resources to understand and leverage this technology.

Furthermore, it’s important to understand that it’s not a classical computing versus quantum computing proposition. In developing competitive advantage, it is far more strategic to combine the complementary strengths of both computing technologies. However, this requires mastering not only quantum computing, but also the complex interaction between classical computing and quantum computing.

Indeed, it can take a few years—or more—from an organization’s initial investigation of quantum computing to actual readiness for implementation. In business, a few years can be a lifetime. Taking a wait-and-see approach could mean the difference between being disrupted and being the disruptor. 

Download the report to learn how learn how quantum computing could help your business gain a competitive edge as the electronics industry rapidly evolves.