The laser, the microwave, the MRI scan… these are some of the great advancements made possible by quantum physics, and they have been with us for a century. To mark 100 years since its discovery, UNESCO has declared 2025 as the ‘International Year of Quantum Science and Technology’, making it clear that —just as with Artificial Intelligence— this term will become increasingly familiar to the general public.
We must get used to it, along with others such as nanotechnology and photonics, because the technologies shaping our lives and leading the great digital revolutions are becoming more complex.
That’s why we’re going to try to explain it.
Quantum science and technology for dummies
Imagine tossing a coin into the air. While it’s spinning, you don’t know whether it will land on heads or tails. Now imagine that the coin keeps spinning indefinitely until someone looks at it. Welcome to the strange world of quantum mechanics.
In classical physics, everything follows predictable rules: a car moves in one direction, a lightbulb is either on or off. However, in the quantum world, the rules change.
Two key concepts you should strive to understand are superposition and entanglement.
– Superposition: A classical bit (the unit of information in conventional computers) can only be 0 or 1. A qubit (the unit of information in quantum computing) can be both 0 and 1 at the same time. This is like a light being both on and off until we look at it.
– Entanglement: Two quantum particles can be entangled, meaning that whatever happens to one instantly affects the other, no matter how far apart they are. Einstein called this “spooky action at a distance.”
Great! Now, do you think you understand quantum mechanics now? Well, that means you don’t, as one of its founding fathers, Richard Feynman, would say.
In reality, the quantum world is not something we can visualize… it can only be described mathematically, as explained by another great science communicator, Niels Bohr.
Mathematics is the keyword. The impossible calculations posed by quantum science and technology are becoming less difficult to solve today, thanks to supercomputers capable of processing vast amounts of information and performing mathematical operations beyond the reach of conventional computers. The problem? There are only a handful of them in the world.
How a Quantum Supercomputer may impact your life
To put it simply, until now, we had the wheel, and now we’re about to build the engine. In other words, we’re going to go farther and faster.
Running these mathematical calculations on supercomputers can lead to discoveries and advancements such as new molecules for new materials, new drugs, new conductive elements, more precise risk and fraud calculations for banks, stronger encryption of sensitive data, real-time transport route optimization considering thousands of factors, and much more.
Although there are real advancements, quantum computing is still in its early stages. Many applications are still theoretical, and today’s quantum computers cannot yet solve large-scale practical problems. However, investment and research in the field suggest that the quantum future is drawing closer.
This is evidenced by the increasing number of public and private initiatives such as IBM Quantum, which connects quantum computers to the cloud; Google’s and Microsoft’s supercomputers; programs like the European Union’s Quantum Flagship or Quantum Spain, the first quantum computing infrastructure in Spain to explore the applications of this new computational paradigm that was actually presented in Valencia and, among other things, offers online formation to get familiar in the quantum world.
Valencia’s Initiatives in Quantum Science and Technology
Recently, a Conference on Quantum Technologies was held in the Valencian Community. One of the key takeaways, expressed by the Regional Secretary for Innovation, Jerónimo Mora, was the need to “connect science with the market to boost the competitiveness of our companies”.
In this regard, developments such as the new IBM headquarters in Valencia add to the extensive academic and research offerings in quantum science led by the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
Additionally, the growing community of tech talent based in Valencia is showing curiosity about this topic, leading to a bunch of first meetups and side events focused on quantum computing.
It’s about collaboration between the corporate and academic worlds, as seen with the German startup Kipu Quantum and the University of Valencia.
In the business sector, Valencia stands out in the field of photonics with leading companies such as DAS Photonics and VLC Photonics, which provide the tools to generate, manipulate, and detect quantum states of light, making them essential for quantum communication, computing, and sensing (photons are excellent carriers of quantum information because they can travel long distances with minimal interference).
Other relevant startups in Spain operating in quantum are Multiverse Computing, Qilimanjaro and QCentroid.
Of course, international tech events like VDS will reinforce the local strategy on quantum science and technology by expanding coverage and dedication to this topic, incorporating talks and leading speakers from the world of quantum at this year’s edition.
