Classical computing networks evolved from monolithic ‘walled gardens’ performing very specific functions to flexible, multi‑layered infrastructures capable of supporting an array of workloads across billions of users. In order to achieve broad commercial adoption and fulfill the promise of harnessing quantum physics, quantum systems must grow past today’s self-contained entanglement schema if they are to achieve quantum advantage across a range of workloads and solutions. These powerful systems will need to be able to network on demand with other quantum systems in a manner that preserves the quantum state (i.e. entanglement) allowing qubit power to be delivered as/when needed in a way that’s secure, scalable, and modular. This article touches on the staged evolution of quantum networking, and key developments and workloads at each stage.
