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Quantum has never attracted more interest, but the technology remains inherently difficult to explain. Scientific breakthroughs are accelerating, governments are treating the technology as a strategic priority and commercial applications continue to emerge. But greater visibility brings greater competition for attention. Another technical milestone, funding announcement or promise of future revenue can easily disappear into a crowded market.
August’s Q2 earnings brought that into sharp focus for listed quantum companies. The disparity in results and growth clearly signposts how investors are now increasingly differentiating between businesses rather than rewarding every industry milestone or R&D progress equally. Yet the lesson goes far beyond public markets. Whether it listed, private or still scaling, all quantum companies need a clearer answer to the same question: what will change if our technology succeeds, and why should anyone care?
Make the impact more tangible
The shift from scientific breakthrough to commercialisation is already well documented. Simply promising a route to revenue or announcing another technical milestone risks blending into a crowded narrative.
The strongest communicators make complex progress tangible by translating it into a scale, setting or problem people can immediately grasp. Google did this with Willow, reporting that its chip completed in under five minutes a benchmark calculation that it estimated would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years. While the benchmark itself has no known commercial application, the comparison gave an otherwise highly technical achievement a memorable sense of scale.
Similarly, IBM has connected quantum to healthcare through its long-term partnership with Cleveland Clinic, where an on-site quantum system supports research into biomedical and life-sciences problems. IonQ and Hyundai have also framed their work around a recognisable challenge, using quantum computing to explore battery chemistry for future electric vehicles.
None of these examples proves that quantum has reached full commercial maturity. However, their communications value helps audiences picture where the technology might matter.
Find creative ways to prove progress beyond just announcing it
Customers, partnerships, deployments, government programmes and commercial deals can all provide valid proof points for the value of the technology. But companies should also think more creatively about how they establish themselves as thought leaders in the quantum space.
One way to do this with the media is by positioning company leaders as authoritative voices on the wider quantum market, rather than only speaking about their own businesses. Recently, we drew on the expertise of Arqit CEO Andy Leaver, who leads the Nasdaq-listed quantum security company, to position him as an expert commentator on the sector’s Q2 results. This secured him an interview on CNBC’s Early Edition, putting Arqit at the heart of the wider market conversation on a major global business platform.
A physical demonstration can make an abstract capability visible. An interactive explainer or animation can show how a quantum approach differs from a classical one. Companies can also open their labs, visualise a technical milestone or build a story around the people and problems behind the science.
The race is now about defining what quantum leadership means
As the sector matures, journalists, customers, policymakers, partners and investors will become more selective about the stories they engage with. The companies that break through will be those that combine credible evidence with a distinctive point of view on what quantum will change and use more imaginative ways to bring that story to life.
In a market where much of the value still lies ahead, the winners will be the ones that make their progress easiest to understand, hardest to ignore and most relevant to the audiences that matter. Quantum’s future may be complex. Its story doesn’t have to be.
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