It’s poised to be the technology of tomorrow – but will quantum change the hosting industry alongside the rest of the world?
If the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is already energising tech decision-makers, then the next revolution is poised to be even more transformative.
Quantum computing, which remains largely a technology in the laboratory rather than reality, is expected to alter all aspects of business and industry, as well as have knock-on effects on our personal lives.
Quantum computing differs from traditional computing by borrowing from the laws of physics. The quantum bit, or qubit - the norm in quantum computing - can be in multiple states at once, putting paid to the concept that a bit is either a 0 or a 1, and on or off.
This can significantly improve the computing power of technology, and is already earmarked to make game-changing improvements to everything from drug discovery to energy systems.
But the impacts will be small as well as big, and flow throughout all aspects of our lives.
Quantum computing could also change hosting and cloud computing, with knock-on effects on data centres.
A lot more data
The killer feature of quantum computing is its ability to parse through huge volumes of information at a speed that traditional computing can only dream of. And that data volume is the thing that is most likely to affect the hosting industry.
Quantum machines promise orders‑of‑magnitude compute with kilowatt‑level power draw – pushing up prices and energy demand for data centres, with knock-on effects for end users.
However, budgets are far from the only effect the hosting industry will encounter as quantum becomes the norm. The first shock wave most hosting firms will feel is security, not hardware.
Cryptographers warn that a thousand‑qubit machine could brute‑force today’s RSA‑2048 keys in days, opening a “harvest‑now‑decrypt‑later” window for data stolen today. Regulators are moving pre‑emptively: NIST will publish its post‑quantum standards shortly, and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has told critical‑infrastructure operators to migrate by 2035.
Refiguring configurations
The result is a massive headache for hosting providers.
Every TLS endpoint, VPN‑gateway, and customer backup stored in a colocation rack will have to be inventoried, patched or wrapped in hybrid algorithms long before a quantum box ever arrives on the loading dock.
It’s likely that quantum will be a premium product for hosts and data centres alike – at least at first, as adoption begins to pick up.
Quantum processors operate at 15 millikelvin in dilution refrigerators. Facility managers will have to rethink the layout of their centres, focusing on things that matter most to quantum: vibration isolation, cryogenic plumbing, and “dark fibre” latencies that keep those dilution refrigerators within a few microseconds of classical control clusters.
Early installations at Digital Realty in Amsterdam and Equinix in Silicon Valley already reserve a single, fridge‑friendly room per campus while the rest of the data centre continues without alteration.
All this comes at a cost, which is why hosting will target premiumisation in the years to come for its quantum services. Hyperscalers like AWS Braket and Azure Quantum charge by the millisecond.
At the same time, colocation providers can probably carve out white‑label capacity, bundle it with classical high‑performance compute, and sell a hybrid stack to drug‑discovery labs or hedge‑fund quants.
Despite the additional costs, it seems likely that customers will pay for guaranteed queue time and turnkey encryption audits on quantum computers.
Quantum as a service will become a luxury for those who can afford it, with souped-up services and hosting provided to those willing to pay a premium for their product. But while things will change – and quickly – it’s unlikely that quantum will become mainstream any time soon, meaning there’ll still be a need for more traditional providers.
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