QCI launches Qonsulting as need for enterprise quantum consulting rises
Are you starting to get the feeling that while 2021 was all about scaling qubits, 2022 is going to be more about showing enterprises what they can do with those qubits?
Not only does IQT have a conference coming up in May that’s all about the Quantum Enterprise, but also a recent study from Zapata Computing suggested that enterprises are ramping up their quantum spending budgets.
Now, it’s time to show enterprises how they can make the most of their quantum investments, and that means focusing on the practical matters of adoption. That’s what Quantum Computing Inc. (QCI) appears to have in mind with a new consulting practice the company launched last week.
QCI Qonsulting puts QCI’s Qatalyst ready-to-run quantum software front and center, but otherwise takes a vendor-agnostic approach to help enterprises take steps toward drafting and implementing strategic plans. It also leverages Path2Quantum (P2Q), a four-phase framework that organizations can use to explore, measure, and strategically plan their quantum computing adoption.
“While some vendors are focused on selling expensive QPU access or complex quantum programming, we’re offering the framework, expertise, and ready-to-run software needed to make quantum accessible and available to today’s subject matter experts, enabling them to freely explore its potential value,” said Robert Liscouski, CEO of QCI, in a statement. “Qonsulting leverages our team’s diverse expertise in quantum systems and software to overcome business challenges… Consulting firms are already exploring the best path to business value using our Qatalyst technology and software in sectors such as wind energy, banking, healthcare and oil and gas. Based on those successes, we know Qonsulting addresses a much-needed challenge in the marketplace.”
The company also announced its first Qonsulting customer, employee staffing company Quad M Solutions, Inc., which is using Qonsulting to help drive optimization of its health insurance underwriting services.
The framework is outlined briefly below:
- Phase I: Identify expectations, evaluate quantum-possible use cases/problems/applications and prioritize quantum-possible opportunities.
- Phase II: Explore quantum hardware and software options, define best infrastructure to test and measure for specific quantum-possible problems.
- Phase III: Test quantum problems and infrastructures across diverse configurations, from quantum-ready classical to hybrid to pure quantum, tune problems, measure potential. Identify the best possible strategic phases to move forward with quantum, including target infrastructures, timing for each phase as QPUs advance, and expected results at each stage.
- Phase IV: Begin initial processing based on the Phase III plan. Test, refine and continue to advance, as clients identify the next quantum-possible opportunities in the successive Phase I.
That almost sounds like the kind of approach that enterprises should take to adopting any new technology that could be a game-changer for their businesses, but that may be the point. Quantum computing up to now may have seemed esoteric to organizations seeing headlines about its future potential. There may still be an aura of confusion and uncertainty about it, and about where companies should start if they want to see what quantum computing can do for them. More vendors may need to start transitioning some of their focus from R&D to building their own consulting and professional service programs to make that happen. Plus, it’s a good way for quantum firms, especially publicly-listed ones like QCI with a lot of investors closely watching their bottom lines, to generate some revenue as they work toward bigger paydays in the future.
