Why 2025 is a pivotal time for quantum science and applications

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Updated 26 February 2025
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Why 2025 is a pivotal time for quantum science and applications

  • UNESCO declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology to celebrate a century of breakthroughs
  • Saudi Arabia’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is leading the Kingdom’s quantum research, aligning with Vision 2030

LONDON: It is quite possible you haven’t noticed that 2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology — or IYQ, for short. Yet it is something hordes of scientists are very excited about, as is UNESCO, which came up with the idea.

What the UN’s science and culture organization has failed to do, however, despite planning events around the world “aimed at increasing public awareness of the importance of quantum science and applications,” is explain on its dedicated IYQ website exactly what it is.

To be fair, that’s not an easy question to answer.

The word “quantum” — Latin for “how much” — is an adjective that finds itself placed in front of a whole range of nouns including “physics,” “computers,” “mechanics,” “engineering,” “theory” and many more.

In these contexts, explains James Cruise, head of quantum computing at Cambridge Consultants, the word quantum refers to the smallest possible unit of something.

For instance, quantum physics studies the behavior of matter and energy at extremely small scales, such as atoms and subatomic particles.

“We’re getting better and better at controlling our world, and what’s going on now is we’re controlling the very, very tiny,” he said.

“We controlled electricity for our electrical and digital revolutions, and mechanical control drove the Industrial Revolution, and now we’re controlling the quantum mechanical realm, understanding how these really tiny particles behave to drive a new technological revolution based on that control.”

His field is quantum computing, which allows certain problems, such as cracking cryptography, to be solved ridiculously quickly — although “quickly” doesn’t really do the process justice.

“We are looking at tackling problems which would take millennia to solve, and being able to do them in days,” he said.

One example is the analysis of chemical processes, important in the development of new drugs, “which is very hard to simulate.”

“There are a lot of molecules and a lot of very complicated equations to solve, and at the moment, when we use computers in chemistry, we just can’t get accurate simulations, because this would take millennia to do all the necessary calculations.

“But with a quantum computer, you could actually do those simulations really quickly, in a day, or a week.”

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced a major breakthrough in quantum computing with the development of a new chip powered by the world’s first topoconductor — a material capable of creating a new state of matter that is neither solid, liquid, nor gas.

The company claims this innovation could dramatically accelerate the timeline for building practical quantum computers, reducing it from decades to just a few years.

Unlike traditional quantum computing approaches, Microsoft’s topoconductor-based chip enables quantum systems to fit on a single, palm-sized chip, potentially paving the way for more stable and scalable quantum hardware.

But how does quantum computing actually work? For many, the “guru” of all things quantum is Hartmut Neven, vice president of quantum engineering for Google Quantum AI.

In a recent TED Talk, he tried to explain for a lay audience the theory behind quantum computing. It started well enough.

“Today’s computers, like a laptop or a server at the Google data center, operate on the binary logic of zeros and ones,” he said.

“A quantum computer replaces the binary logic with the laws of quantum physics. That gives it more powerful operations, allowing it to perform certain computations with way fewer steps.”

So far, so understandable. But not for long.

“So where does this superpower come from? Quantum computing is the first technology that takes seriously the idea that we live in a multiverse. It can be seen as farming out computations to parallel universes.

“The equations of quantum mechanics tell us that at any time, any object, myself, or the world at large, exists in a superposition of many configurations.”

Skip over the mysterious “how,” then, to Neven’s example and the bottom line that quantum computers are on course to be seriously fast at previously impossible computational tasks.

He invites the audience to envision a massive filing cabinet with a million drawers. An ordinary computer would have to open on average half a million drawers to find a particular item filed in one of the drawers, “but if you had access to a quantum algorithm, it would only be 1,000 steps to find the item.”

Although Neven and Google are leading the field, they have yet to convert the theory of quantum computing into real-life practical applications. But they are well on the way. They have passed the second of six milestones they need to reach, and expect to have built “a large, error-corrected quantum computer by the end of the decade.”

Neven predicts that such computers will unlock a host of breakthroughs in multiple fields, such as designing more effective, more targeted medicines or lighter, faster-charging batteries for electric cars or aircraft, or even finally making reality the long-pursued dream of producing energy from nuclear fusion reactors.

FASTFACTS

• UNESCO declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology to celebrate a century of quantum breakthroughs. 

• Microsoft’s new topoconductor chip could accelerate quantum computing development from decades to just a few years. 

• Saudi Arabia’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is leading quantum research, aligning with Vision 2030.

Thanks to quantum science, your smartphone or watch, he predicts, may one day be able to warn you of the presence of dangerous viruses in the air or detect “free radicals,” the unstable atoms linked to cell death and illness, in your body.

“In conclusion,” said Neven, wrapping up his TED Talk, “we are making steady progress towards building the world’s first useful quantum computer and applying its enormous power to important challenges.

“A quantum computer will be a gift to future generations, giving them a new tool to solve problems that today are unsolvable.”

So if quantum technology is still at the “dream big” stage of development, why is UNESCO celebrating it this year in particular?

“The reason we’re celebrating this year is because the theory of quantum mechanics has been around for a century,” said Cruise.

“We are also at the point where the theory is now coming to fruition and actually seeing uses, and we’re building real-use cases and technology based upon this.”

Nominating 2025 as the centenary of the discovery of quantum science and technology is not without controversy. It was, after all, in 1922 that Danish physicist Niels Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work — a decade earlier — on the structure of atoms, “based on quantum theory,” the study of how everything operates at an atomic level.

Bohr is regarded as one of the fathers of quantum theory — a parenthood he shares with Max Planck and Albert Einstein, both of whom also received Nobel Prizes for their work on quanta.

Planck received his Nobel in 1918, “in recognition of the services he rendered to the advancement of physics by his discovery of energy quanta.” Einstein was awarded the prize in 1921 “for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery (in 1905) of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

Today, whether a century or more on from those pioneering discoveries, the potential of quantum technology to deliver a whole range of potentially transformative applications is being recognized and seized upon around the world — and Saudi Arabia is among the leaders of the pack chasing these golden prizes.

In 2021, in a pioneering collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia launched the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, hosted by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh.

In December, C4IR Saudi Arabia published a report that spelled out the potential benefits of quantum technology, highlighted existing progress in the Kingdom and set out a roadmap for a vision of a “quantum economy” which “aligns with the bold goals of Vision 2030, positioning the Kingdom as a global key player in technological innovation and economic diversification.”

In her foreword to the report, the center’s managing director, Dr. Basma Al-Buhairan, wrote that the Kingdom “stands at the dawn of the quantum revolution — a transformative force that will reshape computation, communications and sensing across every industry.”

The report highlighted how quantum technology would “drive innovation across multiple sectors, creating new industries and economic growth” and leading to the development of new products, markets and jobs.

The list of fields in which quantum technology is predicted to have a transformative influence is wide, including energy efficiency, cyber defense, climate modelling, traffic management, machine learning, nanotechnology, cryptography, and the development of new materials and medicines.

Saudi universities are already offering a range of quantum-related programs, ranging from a course in quantum computation and security at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University to a master’s in theoretical quantum optics at Jazan University, and quantum-related research is under way at multiple institutions.

The number of quantum-related publications, conferences and journals produced by Saudi universities and research institutes has increased dramatically from just a handful 15 years ago. In 2023 alone there were 100 conferences and more than 180 journal publications in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, as Dr. Al-Buhairan concluded, “is strategically positioned to become a global quantum technology hub” and “aims to harness this technological revolution’s potential to foster economic growth, enhance national security, and improve citizens’ quality of life.”

In a call to arms, she urged “all partners and collaborators to continue this journey with us, exploring quantum technology’s vast possibilities and ensuring Saudi Arabia remains at the forefront of this exciting field … to realize the full potential of a quantum-enabled future.”


Nominee for White House briefing role pulled over Gaza war stance

Updated 19 sec ago
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Nominee for White House briefing role pulled over Gaza war stance

  • Daniel Davis called US support for Israel’s campaign a ‘stain on our character’
  • Senior Republicans opposed his appointment as deputy director for mission integration

LONDON: US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard decided against appointing a critic of Israel’s war in Gaza to a top government post over fears that doing so would anger members of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Daniel Davis, a senior fellow at the Defense Priorities think tank in Washington, was under consideration for the role of deputy director for mission integration, in charge of — among other things — putting together the president’s daily intelligence briefings.

However, a source within the administration told the New York Times that Gabbard reconsidered the appointment after Davis’s recommendation received criticism from several of her colleagues, Republican members of Congress, and other right-wing bodies and figures over his stance on Israel.

Davis wrote on social media in January that US support for the Gaza war was a “stain on our character as a nation, as a culture, that will not soon go away.”

On Wednesday, the Anti-Defamation League said his appointment would be “extremely dangerous.”

Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA operations officer, said Davis’s stance on the conflict ran contrary to mainstream Republican positions.

“His overt criticism of Israel and total opposition to any military action against Iran seems to run counter to current administration policy,” added Polymeropoulos, a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The NYT reported that “allies” of Davis said there was “no hint of antisemitism or opposition to Israel in his work.”

Davis is known to be skeptical of US involvement in a number of overseas conflicts, in line with the position of Defense Priorities, which has called for less American involvement in the Middle East and an end to the war in Ukraine.

Davis has also been vocal about the suffering of Palestinians, calling plans to remove people from Gaza “ethnic cleansing.”

Gabbard is also a skeptic of US overseas intervention, and while she has said little about Gaza in recent months, Davis has been vocal on social media in supporting similar stances to her on conflicts such as Ukraine and the transition in Syria. 

However, the Trump administration is known to be split on foreign policy directions the president should pursue, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz known to be more hawkish, especially on US policy toward Iran.


France and its partners will not yield to US threats, says French trade minister

Updated 22 min 43 sec ago
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France and its partners will not yield to US threats, says French trade minister

  • “France remains determined to respond with the European Commission and our partners,” Saint-Martin wrote on X

PARIS: France and its partners, such as the European Union, will not yield to US tariff threats and France will protect its industries, said French trade minister Laurent Saint Martin on Thursday.
“Donald Trump is launching the escalation in the trade war he chose to start. France remains determined to respond with the European Commission and our partners,” Saint-Martin wrote on X.
US President Donald Trump said earlier that the US will put 200 percent tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products if the EU does not remove tariff on whiskey.


Armenia says peace deal with Azerbaijan ‘ready for signing’

Updated 54 min 45 sec ago
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Armenia says peace deal with Azerbaijan ‘ready for signing’

  • The Armenian foreign ministry said “negotiations on the draft agreement have been concluded“

YEREVAN: Armenia on Thursday confirmed reports from Azerbaijan that the text of a peace treaty between the arch-foe Caucasus neighbors has been agreed upon and is ready for signing.
“Armenia accepts Azerbaijan’s proposals regarding the two previously unresolved articles of the draft” peace agreement, the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that “negotiations on the draft agreement have been concluded” and “the Peace Agreement is ready for signing.”


No ceasefire reply means Moscow wants to fight on: Zelensky

Updated 13 March 2025
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No ceasefire reply means Moscow wants to fight on: Zelensky

  • Russia says ceasefire would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military

Kyiv, Ukraine/Moscow: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday the fact there was no “meaningful” response from Moscow to a 30-day ceasefire proposal from the United States meant the Kremlin wants to keep fighting in Ukraine.

“Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made. This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that US pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media.

Earlier a top Kremlin aide on Thursday criticized the US-Ukrainian proposal for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying it would just be a "breather" for the Ukrainian military.

"It would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military," Yuri Ushakov told state media after speaking by phone to US national security advisor Mike Waltz.

He said President Vladimir Putin would “probably make more specific and substantive assessments” on Thursday.

Ushakov also said that Russia was aiming for a "long-term peaceful solution" that would secure Russia’s “legitimate interests”.

“That is what we are striving for,” he said.

“Any steps that imitate peaceful action are I believe not needed by anyone in the current situation,” he said.

US negotiators travelled to Russia on Thursday to present their plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, as Washington pushed Moscow for an "unconditional" pause to the three-year conflict.


Deporting Mahmoud Khalil from US would fuel wider expulsion campaign against Arabs, Muslims: Attorney

Updated 13 March 2025
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Deporting Mahmoud Khalil from US would fuel wider expulsion campaign against Arabs, Muslims: Attorney

  • Columbia University student, son of Palestinian refugees, was arrested on March 8
  • Real aim ‘is to shut everybody up’ from criticizing Israel, David Chami tells Arab News

CHICAGO: Deporting green-card holder Mahmoud Khalil from the US would fuel widespread persecution and targeting of Arabs and Muslims who “dare to criticize” Israel, a civil rights attorney told Arab News.

David Chami represented 22 of 27 students who were expelled from Arizona State University after being accused of trespassing and damage to property.

But he said neither his 22 clients nor Columbia University student Khalil committed any serious offense that would justify any form of punishment.

“Without a doubt, what ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the government are doing violates the Constitution and the fundamental laws of this country,” Chami added.

Khalil’s case “could open the door to thousands of expulsions if they want to continue targeting and harassing students.

“I mean, if you start alleging that your opinions about Palestine or Israel are enough for me to associate you with supporting terrorism, all of a sudden everyone’s out, right? Because anyone who’s anti-genocide, who’s against Israeli policies, becomes a target.”

The real aim “is to shut everybody up,” Chami said, adding that under US law, Khalil or any green-card holder would have to be convicted of a “serious crime” before being deported.

“They’re just going to try to throw Mahmoud Khalil out of the country extra-judicially,” Chami said. “If that happens, all of a sudden you’ll start to see green-card holders becoming targeted for their speech, things they said online on social media, and not even being at a protest at all.

“What’s next? They might target former green-card holders who are now American citizens, and people who weren’t born here. They might try to undo their citizenship.”

Chami said green-card holders, who are one step away from becoming official citizens, can only be deported after being convicted of very specific crimes under US immigration laws.

“They include crimes of moral turpitude like fraud, theft, violence, or lying on your application,” he added.

“They’d have to commit some sort of aggravated felony like murder, or drug trafficking, or some other drug offense.

“You could be accused of a crime, but that still wouldn’t provide a basis for deportation. You’d have to be convicted first. … But they aren’t trying to prosecute or convict him.”

Khalil, the son of Palestinian refugees, was born in Syria and holds Algerian citizenship. After earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Lebanese American University, he enrolled at Columbia University in 2022, studying in the School of International and Public Affairs. He completed his studies last December and was scheduled to graduate in May.

Khalil was arrested at his home on March 8 by ICE officers. His attempted expulsion has fueled an atmosphere of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia that is being parroted by American traditional and social media, Chami said.

Although US District Judge Jesse Furman on Wednesday extended an order that temporarily blocks Khalil’s deportation, Chami said he is concerned that ICE could expel him without completing the judicial process. “The question is, where would they expel him to?” Chami asked.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee called Khalil’s arrest “an extreme and blatant act of political retaliation for his First Amendment-protected advocacy.”

Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, said the arrest “is of enormous concern to academic freedom and freedom of speech.”