The Technological Readiness Levels for Quantum Technologies

Two weeks ago, I attended a workshop in Lund where academic researchers, funding agencies, and industry partners gathered for two days to plan a national roadmap in quantum sensing. Quantum sensing refers to the development and application of technology that leverages the properties of quantum mechanics — such as entanglement, coherence, or superposition — to achieve very accurate measurements, often surpassing the limits of what classical devices can do. If you’ve never even heard of quantum sensing, I don’t blame you. For years, another branch of quantum technology — namely quantum computing—has been monopolizing all media attention. Multiple factors are fueling this obsession. Tech giants like Google, IBM, and Microsoft have poured enormous resources in these technologies — both in terms of money and manpower. It’s thus in their interest to keep the momentum (and the investors) on their side. To be fair, if achieved at scale, universal quantum computing could indeed lead to incredible breakthroughs in medicine, material science, and chemistry — although the timeline for these should probably be measured in decades rather than years. Moreover, quantum algorithms harbour the potential for…