Quantum Industry Weighs in on Nvidia CEO’s ‘Decades Away’ Remarks

An off-the-cuff remark by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang that practical quantum computers are as much as 30 years away during an analysts’ session at CES 2025 had the unforeseen effect of sending the share price of quantum computing companies – and Nvidia – tumbling.

The quantum industry was quick to react, explaining that while research into fully scalable, fault-tolerant technology is a work in progress, hybrid quantum-classical systems are on the cusp of delivering real-world value on a much shorter timescale.

Despite Huang's comments, Nvidia is actively recruiting quantum talent and recently backed a paper examining the utility and importance of today's quantum computers.

Here’s what quantum experts had to say on the subject.

Richard Murray, CEO and co-founder, Orca Computing

“Jensen’s statement that useful quantum computing may still be 15 to 30 years away is more than likely referring to the development of a fully scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer, which is an area of ongoing exploration. However, the quantum computing industry is increasingly pursuing a more diverse range of approaches, some of which have much more near-term promise.

In fact, the industry is on the cusp of demonstrating real-world value through hybrid quantum-classical systems and applications in areas like optimization and drug discovery. These applications won’t require a fault-tolerant machine but are just as real and dismissing them overlooks the immediate innovations that are driving this field forward.

Related:Nvidia CEO Quantum Pessimism Triggers Tech Stock Plunge: CES 2025

Quantum computing also has a permanent role to play in supercharging generative AI models. This is especially true for models designed to replicate the statistics and correlations that apply to the quantum world. By embedding quantum principles like superposition and entanglement into AI systems, we open new possibilities for simulating complex systems and solving problems that classical AI models cannot address effectively.”

Loic Henriet, co-CEO, Pasqal and Georges-Olivier Reymond, co-CEO and co-founder, Pasqal

“Firstly, the predictions concern the very last generation of general-purpose fully fault-tolerant quantum computers, while our latest advancements make us believe that we will be able to deliver value on specific use cases much sooner.

Secondly, during the next 10 years, new applications will emerge as error correction techniques improve. At Pasqal, we have an ambitious roadmap toward early fault-tolerant quantum computing addressing quantum error correction, partnering with renowned organizations to advance hardware design and refine algorithms.

Related:IBM Quantum Computer Boosting AI to Improve Antibiotic Treatment

We have already achieved promising results in quantum simulation use cases, such as modeling magnetic and electronic materials which have the potential to revolutionize the development of superior data and energy storage materials, for example.

Jensen Huang’s statements are a signal that the quantum community needs to do a better job of communicating our ambitions and results, honestly and fairly. The market now needs a more pragmatic approach. At Pasqal, we bet on the transformative potential of analog quantum computing, as a working technology today, whilst recognizing the importance of continued investment in quantum computing R&D and fault-tolerant quantum computing.”

Rahul Tyagi, CEO, SECQAI

“Jensen Huang's assertion that quantum computers are decades away feels less like a measured prediction and more like an attempt to downplay a technology poised to disrupt Nvidia’s core business. Quantum computing is clearly here to stay, with major breakthroughs over the past year that suggest a much faster trajectory than Huang's conservative estimate.

Error correction, a foundational challenge for quantum computing, has made leaps forward, and qubit roadmaps are more aggressive than ever. The hurdles of scaling beyond 1,000 qubits are being actively addressed, particularly with advances in quantum networking. Distributed quantum computing could become a reality much sooner than many, including Huang, anticipate. Even national agencies like NIST and ASD have outlined shorter-than-expected timelines for the transition to post-quantum cryptography, signaling that cryptographically relevant quantum computers could arrive much earlier than he predicts.

Quantum computing's potential to revolutionize areas Nvidia currently dominates—like material discovery, quantum chemistry, and computational fluid dynamics—is undeniable. These are active areas of quantum research already demonstrating benefits. Moreover, the emergence of quantum AI is beginning to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in machine learning and deep learning, both critical pillars of its business model.

While GPUs will still play a role in pre- and post-processing, quantum processing units (QPUs) could soon become the new workhorses in these domains.

Nvidia’s own rapid integration of quantum technologies into its ecosystem is evidence of the threat quantum computing poses to its existing stack. If Huang truly believed quantum computing was decades away, why is Nvidia making moves to incorporate quantum into its solutions?

This reminds me of Steve Ballmer’s infamous 2007 remark when at Microsoft that the iPhone would have no place in society. Dismissing quantum computing now could very well be seen as a similarly shortsighted mistake."