Seeing the Quantum Horizon: Hype, Hopes, Hybrid Systems, and the Road to Quantum Advantage and Value

About the Session

The quantum computing industry is undergoing a critical transition. The era of chasing speculative, long-term qubit counts in isolation is giving way to a more pragmatic, problem-first approach. Today’s cutting-edge quantum strategy is not about replacing classical computing, but rather about co-designing hybrid workflows where quantum processing units (QPUs) act as accelerators alongside high-performance classical infrastructure. 

We sit down with two of the quantum ecosystem's most prominent analytical voices to map out the current state of the industry. Bob Sorensen (Hyperion Research)  and Sebastian Hassinger (The New Quantum Era) will cut through the media hype to deliver a grounded assessment of where quantum stands in 2026. Together, they will explore the current landscape of modalities and error correction techniques, the progress in scaling systems, the practical challenges of hardware integration, and the leading high-value enterprise opportunities. They will share their realistic expectations for when quantum computing will impact industry and research workflows while also addressing what could accelerate, or bottleneck, that progress.