The Quantum Question: Can Our Infrastructure Keep Up?

Human history has long been shaped by different tendencies and forces, ranging from waging violent wars to the height of artistic and intellectual achievement. It can be reasonably argued, however, that the human disposition to constantly improve the world around us is the single most influential part of what drives our history. A simple look around the modern world affirms this with our interconnected society and constantly rising standard of living.

In the modern era, advances in computational technology have ranked among the most impactful fields of invention. Computers have left their mark everywhere, and improved at a rapid pace. The computers that made the moon landing possible are now exceeded by devices that you can carry in your pocket. And today, once again, we stand at the precipice of another breakthrough: quantum computing.

Computation itself can be defined as storing, interpreting, and interacting with quantifiable data in a digital format. To do this, computers make use of a binary/“base-2” system which serves as a medium to interpret the data which computers handle, ranging from text to processing instructions.

Both quantum computers and classical computers make use of the binary system in the vast majority of all cases, but they differ in how they process information. Classical computers make use of bits, which represent either a zero or a one (which form the bases of binary notation). Meanwhile, quantum computers make use of qubits, which function the same way as bits, but they can also exist in a superposition of both zero and one.

This allows for exponential scaling in computation, as opposed to linear scaling. Since qubits make use of a binary system, the range of possibilities with one qubit is simply two; a yes or a no. However, when qubits work together, the number of computational possibilities begin to compound. Two qubits become four possibilities, three become eight, and so on. On the order of hundreds of qubits, or even 1,121, the possibilities become virtually unlimited.

This technology has an immense variety of potential applications. Sufficiently advanced quantum computers are postulated to be capable of solving incalculably complex problems that would take a classical supercomputer millennia to execute. The possibilities, both figuratively and literally, are nigh-endless, especially as they relate to infrastructure. One realm that quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize is the maintenance of general infrastructural integrity on much more detailed and precise scales than previously thought possible.

A 2025 study from Cornell University, called Q-RESTORE, introduced a hypothetical framework for using quantum resources to restore damaged road networks in the event of a disaster. By using equipment from D-Wave Quantum, a company that specializes in harnessing quantum computing for practical means, Q-RESTORE predicted an optimized road recovery plan in 8.7 seconds, a revolutionary improvement from the effects of prior algorithmic models. In addition, this model also accounted for the needs of marginalized communities as well as a wide variety of budgeting scenarios. Furthermore, quantum computing also has incredible potential in the realms of cybersecurity and protecting digital infrastructure. A 2024 analysis envisioned that quantum computing could revolutionize cryptography in nearly every layer of cyber-infrastructure.

This is especially important when additional context is taken into account. As quantum computing technology enters the market, its vastly increased powers and overall efficiency would not be exclusively used for benign purposes. Hackers armed with quantum technology would be able to hypothetically brute-force complex passwords, defeat and eclipse current hashing algorithms, and perpetrate other potentially devastating functions. As the threat of quantum cyberwarfare becomes a very real and tangible threat, so too must the United States remain vigilant regarding cybersecurity for the sake of both its people and its national interests.

Quantum computing also shows promise in the field of grid planning. A 2020 study detailed a variety of hypothetical applications for quantum computing in this sector. The first of these fields is unit-commitment, which determines which generators should and shouldn’t be activated in a grid system. The study also focuses on heat exchange networks (HENs), which transfer heat between two materials without combining or mixing them, and are used extensively in power plants. Finally, of course, there is also the question of where new power facilities and grid infrastructure should be constructed in the first place. Quantum computing, although it has yet to see practical applications in grid infrastructure, may revolutionize all three aspects by streamlining commitment processes via superior capacity, as well as being able to calculate the most efficient allocation processes for grid-wide resources. This theoretical perfect planning may run up against myriad policy challenges like permitting, eminent domain, land use issues, and more, not to mention supply chain considerations for the actual building of new infrastructure. Though perhaps quantum computing could offer needle-threading solutions to all of these challenges concurrently.

When looked at cumulatively, quantum computing appears to be a truly world-shattering technology that would revolutionize not just the way we do infrastructure, but also the way society operates. In terms of sheer potential application, quantum computing appears to rival the telegraph, the internet, and virtually all other generational inventions. So why hasn’t the United States invested more heavily in it?

Even though the potential applications of quantum computing are tantalizing, the technology itself is still highly experimental, with the existing prototypes used by tech giants like IBM and Google requiring incredibly complex and expensive equipment to operate. In addition, the implementation of quantum computing on larger scales would require a fundamental re-evaluation of how future IT infrastructure is planned, prospected, and constructed, especially in regard to data centers. Once again, these implicated policy challenges yet unresolved such as permitting and land-use, while stoking others like skyrocketing energy demand and power consumption issues.

Quantum computing will both revolutionize and require revolution from infrastructure systems. While its capabilities are significant, new investment into our cybersecurity, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure will be needed to fully harness it. Thus, with the future of computing ahead of us, we are left with one question: are we willing to do what it takes to seize our quantum future? From the looks of it, we will soon find out.

Written by Albert Bernhardt IV, Public Policy Intern