The quantum future is here: from theory to real solutions

Quantum computing has long been considered the realm of thought experiments and theoretical physics, but that era is coming to an end. At a recent roundtable discussion during LA Tech Week, held on October 15, 2025 at the USC Viterbi Institute for Information Sciences (ISI), researchers from academia and industry discussed the transition of quantum technology from the lab to practical use.

The discussion revealed a tipping point: quantum computers are already solving real-world problems, from simulating complex materials to potentially revolutionizing drug discovery. The infrastructure is evolving rapidly, meaning that “scary” science is turning into tangible technology.

Haley Weinstein, founder of the startup and former ISI researcher, explained basic concepts like superposition and entanglement. Schrödinger's cat and Einstein's "spooky action at a distance" are now the foundation of new technologies.

Itay Hen (ISI) highlighted advances in hardware, while Eli Levenson-Falk (USC) highlighted the importance of enabling technologies such as quantum controllers, which are now commercially available. Emil Hoskinson (D-Wave Systems) presented a simulation of a magnetic material performed entirely on a quantum computer – a vision envisioned by Richard Feynman in 1981.

Thomas Watts (University of Technology Sydney) explained that quantum computers will not replace classical ones, but will work with them in hybrid systems, where the quantum core solves the most difficult tasks, and the classical layer takes care of control.

In the future, the panelists expect breakthroughs in drug discovery and materials science, as quantum mechanics enables the understanding of molecules and interactions at a level unattainable by classical systems.