Q&A with Koen Groenland: Making Quantum Computing Accessible for Business
As the Dutch quantum ecosystem continues to expand, bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world industry applications has never been more essential. Quantum technology promises to revolutionize many sectors, but to fully harness its potential, businesses need to understand its capabilities, limitations, and the practical implications of its adoption. In this context, experts like Koen Groenland are playing a pivotal role in making quantum knowledge more accessible to the business world.
Koen, a respected quantum expert and author, has dedicated his career to exploring how quantum computing can reshape industries. His new book, Introduction to Quantum Computing for Business, is a significant step toward demystifying this complex technology and guiding companies on how to leverage quantum advancements. In our recent conversation with Koen, we delved into the motivation behind his book, the key insights he hopes readers will take away, and his thoughts on the future of quantum adoption in business. With the growing interest in quantum, understanding its role in business strategy is becoming a must for forward-thinking leaders.
What inspired you to write this book, and what gap does it fill in the quantum computing landscape?
Current learning resources are all about the microscopic details of quantum computers. But is that really what we need to teach people? If you’re using a classical computer, do you really care about how exactly the CPU processes your zeroes and ones? IT departments certainly don’t. That’s why I want to reach smart business thinkers who care about the capabilities and applications of quantum computers, rather than what’s happening under the hood. I believe that an enormous number of managers, consultants, policymakers and entrepreneurs will sooner or later have to deal with quantum technologies, without ever needing to study the deeper maths or physics.
This might be a bit of wishful thinking, but I hope that this becomes a standard work that everybody reads when starting a quantum journey.
Your book is aimed at business professionals without a technical background. What’s the biggest takeaway for them?
When I just started in this field, the first thing I heard was that quantum computers would be millions of times faster than the best supercomputers.
However, it turns out that quantum computers are not simply faster computers… in fact, I’d say that for most purposes, they’re extremely slow! To get any value out of a quantum computer, you need to carefully select the right quantum algorithm. These algorithms may sound daunting, but I’m convinced that precisely the people with the skills and knowledge to pick the right algorithms will provide enormous business value.
What future developments are you most looking forward to?
I think there will be two key developments in the next years. Firstly, there is rapid progress in the field of error correction. Once this works at scale, we can do something quite incredible: even though our qubits are fragile and introduce errors every few steps, these errors no longer add up during long computations. Once we reach that stage, we can finally run very long calculations – precisely those that we believe are useful.
Secondly, we surely haven’t discovered the full landscape of solutions that quantum computers can offer yet. New breakthroughs in quantum algorithms are arguably the most important condition for actual business value.
Many businesses are still unsure about when to engage with quantum technology. What advice would you give them?
The most urgent aspect is to safeguard ourselves against the codebreaking capabilities of quantum computers. Some fundamental cryptography that is baked into almost every piece of software (and even some hardware!) will need to be upgraded. For larger businesses and governments, such updates can easily take 5-10 years. This is an unacceptable security gap, because there’s a reasonable chance that large-scale quantum computers will be available within that period.
How do you see the role of the Dutch quantum ecosystem in fostering quantum adoption for businesses?
If I look at classical computers, a typical business does not build its own computer, nor does it write its low-level software or operating systems. Most simply order a fully functional laptop or server and expect it to just work out of the box, or run a user-friendly application over the cloud. Quantum computers will be much more technical to use, but we can learn a lot from the classical ecosystem. Technology developers should listen well to the demands of end-users, building products that address their needs and speak their language. We cannot expect every data scientist or software developer to learn all the tedious details of quantum circuits, error correction, or compiling.
I'm most proud of my forecasts for the emergence of practical quantum computers. While I can't pinpoint an exact year, it's incredibly humbling to see my analyses and predictions already influencing discussions at major conferences.
Koen’s book, Introduction to Quantum Computing for Business, is available from March 18. Explore the free web version and order your copy here: https://www.introtoquantum.org/
