Why quantum is now a board issue
Quantum technologies are exiting the lab: post-quantum cryptography standards are being set, quantum sensing is field-ready for mining and defense, and early error-corrected computing is on the 10-year horizon. Security, not speed, is the near-term economic catalyst.
| Domain | Commercial readiness (2025) | Economic use case (Canada) | Risk/benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-quantum crypto (PQC) | Standardization under way | Banking, government, telecom | Mitigates “harvest-now, decrypt-later” |
| Quantum sensing | Deploying | Mineral exploration, navigation, health imaging | Performance edge in noisy environments |
| Quantum computing | Early utility | Materials, logistics, finance Monte Carlo | Research lead; scale uncertain before 2030s |
Security first: PQC migration
Adversaries can store encrypted data now and decrypt later when quantum capability arrives. Canada’s critical infrastructure and banks should begin PQC transitions with crypto-agility: inventory algorithms/keys, prioritize high-value data, and deploy hybrid classical-PQC schemes.
Industrial advantage: sensing and materials
Quantum magnetometers, gravimeters, and RF sensors can improve exploration success rates and reduce false positives. In materials, quantum-assisted simulation could compress design cycles for batteries, fertilizers, and catalysts—core Canadian export chains.
What leaders can do
- Launch a crypto-inventory: map algorithms, keys, lifetimes, and vendors; build a PQC cutover plan.
- Stand up a quantum risk committee reporting to the board.
- Pilot quantum sensing with mining, energy, and aerospace partners.
- Invest via consortia: share IP and cost in pre-competitive research.
- Require crypto-agility in all new procurements (banking, payments, device firmware).
Arcus Insight: Quantum advantage will show up as security resilience and incremental sensing wins long before universal quantum computing. Treat PQC as mandatory cyber hygiene—and the rest as targeted R&D sprints.