A concise digest compiled from reports and analyses curated by The Qubit Report (2019).
The opening quarter of 2019 revealed a clear acceleration in quantum computing, with major vendors delivering integrated commercial systems, governments launching coordinated national initiatives, and enterprises beginning active preparation for post-quantum threats. While universal fault-tolerant machines remained on a longer horizon, the period delivered concrete hardware platforms, cloud-accessible systems, policy commitments, and cryptographic migration tools bringing practical applications visibly closer. These advances collectively signaled the field was shifting from exploratory research toward deployable infrastructure and strategic readiness.
IBM introduced the IBM Q System One, the first complete quantum computer designed for reliable operation outside university laboratories, emphasizing stability and usability for business and scientific users. D-Wave previewed its next-generation annealing platform, upgraded the Los Alamos 2000Q system, and extended its Leap cloud service into Europe. Google revealed a cryogenic controller consuming under 2 milliwatts, while Intel partnered with Bluefors and Afore on a new quantum cryoprober. Such parallel hardware releases demonstrated a growing emphasis on engineering and accessibility.
Reports detailed the intensifying U.S.–China quantum arms race, framing quantum technology as a decisive factor in future economic and military advantage. Australia established the Sydney Quantum Academy with significant state investment, India announced plans to develop domestic quantum computers, and Canada continued building regional momentum. In the United States, the Trump administration had signed into law the NQIA on Christams Eve, 2018. Soon after, the National Quantum Initiative Act advanced toward implementation, while the White House emphasized quantum alongside AI and 5G in statements on future industrial dominance. Such coordinated efforts positioned quantum as a core element of national competitiveness.
Industry and government voices highlighted immediate risks to existing encryption, driving calls for transition planning. NIST progressed its post-quantum standardization effort, while DigiCert and Utimaco collaborated on quantum-resistant IoT security. Cambridge Quantum Computing debuted Ironbridge, the first certifiable quantum cryptographic device ready for commercial deployment. Analyses of threats to blockchain, financial systems, and critical infrastructure reinforced the urgency of “harvest now, decrypt later” scenarios, prompting enterprises to begin migration roadmaps.
Practical steps toward secure quantum channels gained momentum. Singapore and the UK initiated a satellite QKD test bed, Toronto researchers advanced concepts for a future quantum internet, and experimental demonstrations improved long-distance entanglement and quantum repeaters. Commercial interest in quantum key distribution for critical links grew, supported by new prototypes and trials. The developments laid foundational components for unhackable communication networks anticipated in the coming decade.
Academic and laboratory results continued to feed the pipeline: Yale created a universal entangling gate, Argonne reduced quantum noise, and IonQ published performance benchmarks. Regional hubs formed, including the Northwest Quantum Nexus, and strengthened Chicago Quantum Exchange activities. Microsoft announced the Microsoft Quantum Network, broadening industry partnerships. These interconnected advances strengthened the bridge between fundamental discovery and engineered systems.
Q1 2019 confirmed quantum technologies had advanced beyond conceptual promise into engineered platforms and policy frameworks. Yet, the quarter also clarified the remaining bottlenecks of error-correction, system scaling, and long-term stability. Such bottlenecks would determine the pace of practical deployment. Progress was no longer constrained by vision or funding, but by the physics and engineering challenges separating prototypes from large-scale, fault-tolerant machines.
Q2 2019 marked a decisive pivot toward institutional commitment and commercial readiness in quantum technologies, with governments announcing major funding packages and industry players launching accessible platforms and partnerships. Hardware and materials research delivered steady breakthroughs, while awareness of quantum threats to encryption drove urgent policy and enterprise discussions on migration strategies. Although scalable, fault-tolerant systems remained on the horizon, the quarter’s investments, network prototypes, and software tools signaled practical deployment timelines were compressing across multiple fronts.
The UK government committed £153 million to quantum technologies, highlighting nationalism to capture economic and security advantages. In the United States, the Department of Energy allocated $40 million for quantum computing software development, while broader policy discussions sought international collaboration to maintain competitiveness. Reports framed quantum leadership as central to future dominance in defense, finance, and communications, prompting coordinated national strategies to position public funding as a catalyst for private innovation.
D-Wave released its open-source Hybrid platform to simplify integration of quantum and classical resources for real-world problems. Fujitsu confirmed active development of a practical gate-based quantum computer, Honeywell entered the race with new initiatives, and Atos launched myQLM to democratize quantum programming. IBM expanded its Q Network with academic partners including Notre Dame and the University of the Witwatersrand, while Strangeworks aimed to broaden access for non-specialists. These moves highlighted a maturing commercial ecosystem focused on usability and hybrid workflows.
Analyses repeatedly warned quantum advances could break 2048-bit RSA encryption in hours, driving enterprise and government urgency. Organizations such as ETSI and the Cloud Security Alliance issued guidance on quantum-safe migration, while financial institutions including ABN AMRO explored quantum-resistant solutions. Reports stressed proactive transition planning was now essential, with new standards and tools emerging to protect data against future “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks.
European efforts advanced a continent-wide quantum communications infrastructure, while researchers demonstrated progress toward metropolitan-scale quantum networks. Advances in photon manipulation, room-temperature operation, and entanglement distribution brought practical quantum key distribution closer to deployment. These prototypes reinforced the feasibility of unhackable communication links for critical infrastructure in the near term.
Discoveries in 2D materials such as borophene and new semiconductor structures offered pathways beyond traditional silicon scaling. Teams achieved higher-precision quantum measurements, sound-mediated qubit connections over record distances, and improved error characterization techniques. Such foundational progress fed directly into hardware roadmaps, strengthening confidence of engineering challenges to larger, more stable systems were being systematically addressed.
Canadian photonics startup Xanadu secured a $32 million Series A round to advance its continuous-variable approach. Archer Materials progressed assembly of a nanoscale qubit processor, and regional hubs continued to form around university-industry consortia. Talent development initiatives and workforce projections emphasized the growing demand for quantum-skilled professionals across sectors.
2019’s second quarter quantum progress lifted the technology from a neutral scientific trajectory to a strategic variable shaping economic security and digital resilience. As hardware matured and migration discussions intensified, the primary challenge shifted from technological feasibility to risk management. A challenge for institutions to quickly adapt infrastructure, standards, and talent pipelines before adversarial capabilities outpaced defensive preparation had been clearly identified.
Q3 2019 delivered a series of notable achievements lifting quantum computing toward practical viability, highlighted by reported quantum supremacy and major new government funding commitments. Industry partnerships flourished, merging hardware expertise with software and analytics capabilities, while post-quantum cryptography preparations intensified across finance and defense. Though fully fault-tolerant systems remained on the horizon, the quarter’s demonstrations, investments, and collaborative frameworks significantly advanced readiness for near-term applications.
Reports surfaced of Google ‘s accomplishment: the juggernaut claimed it had achieved quantum supremacy, performing a task infeasible for classical supercomputers and igniting global debate on benchmarks and implications. D-Wave launched its latest 5000-qubit Advantage system, featuring lower-noise operation for enhanced performance. Researchers progressed qudit-based gates for quantum information processing, topological photonics for qubit-to-qubit communication, and new quantum volume metrics, steadily elevating NISQ-era capabilities.
The U.S. Department of Energy committed $214 million to quantum information science and $607 million for quantum computing and networking, reinforcing federal leadership. European nations advanced plans for an ultra-secure quantum communication network, and initiatives in the UK, Canada, and India expanded talent pipelines and infrastructure. These substantial investments highlighted quantum’s role as a perceived cornerstone of future economic and national security strategies.
Rigetti Computing acquired QxBranch to bolster full-stack offerings, Atos partnered with India’s C-DAC on quantum, AI, and exascale advancement, and IBM collaborated with Fraunhofer to drive German quantum research. Accenture secured a U.S. patent for hybrid classical-quantum computing, and financial institutions explored quantum applications in risk modeling. Alliances noted here signaled a maturing commercial ecosystem prioritizing hybrid solutions for immediate value.
Warnings of quantum advances grew suggesting the systems could undermine current encryption, spurring banks and governments to consider accelerating quantum-resistant migration. Standards bodies and enterprises tested new post-quantum algorithms and hybrid approaches, emphasizing proactive defenses against “harvest now, decrypt later” threats. This heightened focus positioned cryptographic resilience as a near-term imperative.
Researchers unveiled the world’s first link-layer protocol tailored for quantum internet development and progressed metropolitan entanglement distribution. Partnerships emerged to deploy secure channels for defense and finance, supported by improved photon manipulation and interference techniques. The breakthroughs moved quantum key distribution closer to operational reality.
Q3 2019 marked a phase wherein quantum development became a measure of strategic positioning rather than experimental capability. Governments, cloud providers, and research hubs were not merely advancing technology but defining roles for a future quantum-computational environment. As evidenced by the establishing ecosystems, standards influence, and talent pipelines, the advancements will shape which nations and companies set the terms of the quantum era.
Q4 2019 cemented quantum computing’s status as a revolutionary technology in motion, with supremacy claims fueling debate, major cloud ecosystems launching, and enterprises deepening practical engagements. Hardware innovations addressed scaling challenges, while governments escalated strategic investments and cryptographic defenses gained traction. Scalable fault-tolerant systems remained future-oriented, but advances in control, accessibility, and hybrid applications significantly boosted near-term readiness.
Google’s reported quantum supremacy achievement dominated headlines, demonstrating a task beyond classical reach and prompting IBM’s measured response on simulation feasibility. Researchers refined quantum volume metrics and coherence times, and new protocols showcased advantages in sampling and optimization. The sharpened definitions of practical quantum advantage and positioning NISQ devices as increasingly viable for specialized computations are key points in the quantum timeline for Q4 2019.
Intel introduced Horse Ridge cryogenic control, a chip simplifying qubit array management for future scaling. Silicon-based approaches achieved long-distance qubit entanglement, and superconducting platforms demonstrated improved gate fidelity and new materials. Photonic and trapped-ion efforts advanced photon manipulation and error mitigation, systematically tackling coherence and connectivity bottlenecks essential for larger systems.
Microsoft delivered Azure Quantum, AWS launched Braket, and platforms expanded access through partnerships exemplified by the Atos-Zapata collaboration. Volkswagen applied quantum methods to traffic optimization, financial institutions explored risk modeling, and biopharma eyed simulation gains. These developments democratized hybrid quantum-classical workflows, enabling broader enterprise experimentation.
Japan launched major quantum programs with high-profile researcher incentives, the U.S. updated its strategic computing initiative, and nations like Australia, Canada, and Israel committed substantial resources to hubs and talent. DOE awards and international consortia reinforced quantum’s role in national competitiveness. Such coordinated funding signaled long-term commitment to infrastructure and workforce development.
Growing recognition of encryption vulnerabilities drove quantum-resistant algorithm testing and migration planning in banking and government sectors. New protocols combined classical and quantum-safe methods, while standards bodies advanced post-quantum cryptography roadmaps. The proactive focus highlighted the urgency of defending against future “harvest now, decrypt later” threats.
Advances in quantum key distribution and entanglement distribution supported emerging secure networks. Novel materials and photonic techniques improved qubit stability and photon sources. These foundational steps positioned quantum communication as a near-term deployable technology for un-hackable channels.
Q4 2019 demonstrated quantum progress was increasingly defined by integration rather than isolated breakthroughs. Control electronics, cloud interfaces, policy frameworks, and security planning were converging into coordinated systems. Signals were beaconing competitive advantage would stem not only from qubit performance but from the ability to orchestrate hardware, software, and institutional infrastructure as a unified environment.
The final quarter of 2018 demonstrated the dual reality of quantum computing. While fault-tolerant systems remained distant, policy frameworks, post-quantum cryptography, and hybrid platforms advanced.
The third quarter of 2018 reflected growing practical preparedness in quantum computing, as post-quantum cryptography moved into commercial partnerships and national strategies gained funding and
In Q2 2018, quantum computing shifted from exploratory research to dedicated investments and infrastructure. Hardware advances focused on error correction, while post-quantum cryptography progressed via