CES Takes the Leap into Tomorrow: Unveiling the Quantum Revolution in Gadgets

The contradiction was glaring. Last Thursday, at CES 2025, the biggest tech exhibition by square footage in Las Vegas, a half-day event titled “Quantum Means Business” was held. It aimed to gather “the brightest minds in quantum” and display “innovations once relegated to the realm of science fiction” under the extravagant title of the World Quantum Congress. However, amidst the exhibition halls filled with new microchips, robotics, and AI integrated into anything imaginable, any quantum representation was nearly absent.

This should not come as a shock, as very few beyond exclusive research communities comprehend quantum computing: a sophisticated type of computation built on the esoteric principles of quantum physics, allowing particles to exist in multiple states simultaneously instead of being limited to a single state until observed.

Furthermore, unlike conventional or binary computers that function with bits being either 0 or 1, quantum computers utilize qubits, which can symbolize several states at the same time. This capability enables them to execute specific calculations at astonishing speeds, resulting in advancements like the one Google publicized last month regarding its Willow quantum chip. It completed a standard benchmark calculation in less than five minutes, a task that would take the fastest traditional supercomputers more time than the Universe’s existence.

Not only did CES participants overlook the memo, but the star of the event was present to dampen the organizers’ aspirations.

Jensen Huang, the CEO and founder of chip manufacturer Nvidia and a pioneer in the AI hardware transformation, presented the keynote address at CES on Monday evening. He introduced a range of new Nvidia offerings, including the latest graphics processor or GPU, the GeForce RTX 50 Series. It promises improvements in AI-enhanced graphics rendering and twice the performance of its predecessors for gamers and developers.

Rather than departing into the Las Vegas sunset amid adoring applause from his supporters, Huang returned the following day to address inquiries from analysts. Unsurprisingly, they inquired about the prospects for quantum computing.

“If you stated 15 years for highly functional quantum computers, that might be somewhat optimistic,” he replied.

“If you suggested 30, that leans towards being pessimistic. However, if you chose 20, I believe many of us would accept that.”

Instantaneously, a year-long surge in quantum computing shares screeched to a halt, with four major industry players experiencing a decline of over 40% in their stock prices.

Two decades until profitability? No wonder there was no live demonstrations at CES.

_{Margaret Arakawa, chief marketing officer of IonQ}

Conversely, there was no lack of professionals eager to counter the rising tide of pessimism. As ironies multiplied, the Quantum World Congress commenced with Margaret Arakawa, the chief marketing officer of IonQ. This company is one of the four quantum frontrunners affected by the market, with its market capitalization plummeting from over $10 billion to $5.5 billion following the downturn. Her panel discussion was titled “Quantum is Here.”

She proclaimed to anyone willing to listen: “The momentum for quantum isn’t merely looking towards the future. Quantum is present and tackling some of today’s most intricate challenges. We’re… delivering breakthroughs currently for our clients across various sectors.”

Speaker after speaker at the Quantum World Congress endeavored to emphasize that quantum was indeed ready for commercial application.

_{Dr. Joe Broz vice president of IBM Quantum, Photo supplied}

Dr. Joe Broz, vice president of IBM Quantum, encapsulated it succinctly: “We strongly believe that we have entered an era of quantum utility, and we are very optimistic that quantum advantage is imminent.”

Huang himself had indeed disclosed that “almost every quantum computing company globally is collaborating with us now”. Not the South African “now now,” which translates in the USA to “whenever,” but as we speak.

* Arthur Goldstuck is the CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. You can follow him on Bluesky at @art2gee.bsky.social.