And now for something completely different. I normally write about APIs, integration, and architecture. Today I shall also turn my attention to quantum computing platforms.

I have always found these to be fascinating devices. Their bits – or rather qubits – are not discrete, binary numbers like the voltage-based bits in classical computers. Rather, they are waves that interact with each other, interfering with their respective peaks and valleys as defined by the laws of quantum physics.

This means qubits have different mathematical properties than classical bits. For example, a qubit stores more information than a classical bit: An amplitude value and phase value, not just a simple binary. Gate operations are based on trigonometry and linear algebra rather than discrete math. Yet they are also limited: The waveform data they store is not directly accessible. After a quantum computer finishes its computations, the laws of physics do not allow us to see more than a small piece of what it computed.

Quantum computing platforms, as a whole, are simultaneously in two positions: They have both great potential and narrow potential. They have great potential to solve problems previously considered unsolvable. These are problems expressible as waves interfering with each other to reveal an answer. They also have narrow potential because most problems aren’t expressible that way. Even those that are must work around the limited information that the laws of physics allow us to extract. This makes producing quantum algorithms very difficult.

Quantum Computing Platforms: The Cat’s Out Of The Box (Or Is It?)

The state of quantum computing is growing into an increasingly excited state. Some years ago, gate-based quantum computers were more about scientific theory: proving that qubits could be scientifically real using a variety of approaches. Although some approaches remain stuck in the world of theoretical physics, some have transitioned to the world of engineering. Producing qubits that are not error prone and producing key quantum gates are barriers for achieving utility, and it is these engineering problems that the industry is now addressing.

While we remain years away from a commercially useful gate-based quantum computer, I believe that year will arrive sooner than I’d have said if asked a few years ago. And with it, the dreaded scenario of cracking prime-factoring cryptography, which happens to be one of those problems whose solution is expressible as waves interfering with each other. Fortunately, we are starting to prepare. Although the momentum and position where the market will land is uncertain, addressing harvest-now-decrypt-later should be a priority for CISOs today.

For industries that can benefit from quantum algorithms, it wouldn’t hurt to begin formulating thoughts now on how your organization will exploit their unique characteristics. Forrester clients can read more in upcoming The State of Quantum Computing report due later this month.

David Mooter holding a cat named Athena.
Mooter’s (not Schrödinger’s) cat: an alternate headshot for my Forrester portrait that didn’t make the cut, featuring Athena.

Forrester’s Coverage Of Quantum Computing Platforms

My colleague Brian Hopkins covers emerging technologies. This has included quantum computing platforms, an area where I and another colleague Charlie Dai have supported him. In 2026, we’re doing a swap operation: I will be primarily covering quantum computing platforms with Brian in a supporting role. Sandy Carielli, Heidi Shey, and Andras Cser will continue covering quantum security in collaboration with us.

I have long been fascinated by physics. In high school, I picked up a book Basic Quantum Mechanics on a whim. I’ve read articles for research and watched many video  to understand how quantum phenomena work and how quantum algorithms provide speed improvements. Additionally, for those who know the Schrödinger’s cat jokes, I am also a life-long cat lover. Both of these – or at least the first of these – makes me excited to take on this work.

I welcome quantum computing vendors to give me a briefing on their progress, and Forrester clients interested in quantum computing platforms can request a guidance session. APIs, integration, and architecture still remain my primary focus area, so continue reaching out to me for those topics as always.