The Age of Becoming

The Age of Becoming, in partnership with IBM H.G. Wells believed that the future should surpass imagination. Today, Wells might feel that his observation is being proved anew each day, with technological advances that even a few years ago we could barely have dreamed of. As technology reshapes how we live, work and think – at a pace never seen before – a rare opportunity presents itself: we must not only adapt but decide how intelligence and innovation are interwoven into the lives of the future. Quantum computing will be the most significant computing revolution since Moore’s Law almost 60 years ago. Its potential to redefine industries, including life sciences and financial services, is vast. Quantum computing – computing that uses quantum mechanics to solve previously impossible problems – is estimated to become a $1.3 trillion industry by 2035, for those willing to invest early. But quantum computing is not just a leap of the human imagination, it is an economic frontier. In the UK alone, the quantum sector could boost UK economy-wide productivity by up to 7% by 2045, adding as much as £212 billion in gross value added to UK GDP. IBM is proof that investing early will pay off, as they are on track to deliver the world’s first large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029. We are witnessing the beginning of a new beginning. By investing now, the UK has the chance to not just participate in the quantum future, but shape it. Join theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili and the Director of IBM Research Europe, Juan Bernabé-Moreno, for our final event in this series to discover how quantum computing is destined to overtake AI as the technology of the future.