Economic opportunities of Quantum Sensing

Bongs, Kai

Kai Bongs

Quantum Sensors have been named one of the top 10 emerging technologies of the year by the World Economic Forum in 2020. This talk will highlight some of the commercial opportunities opened up by quantum sensors based on atomic probe particles. These sensors promise to offer disruptive new capabilities in sensing what is underneath the ground, which parts of the brain are active and detecting small objects in the air. I will present new prototypes and first commercial spin-offs branching out form this exciting area of quantum technologies.

Chander K. Velu, Keith Norman, Yuzhen Zhu +2 more

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of quantum sensing, imaging, and position, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies. It explains their significance in enhancing measurement precision and resilience. The chapter discusses initial deployment of quantum technologies in these areas with applications in climate change, healthcare diagnostics, defence systems, space exploration, and transportation. It highlights the opportunities as well as challenges in integrating these quantum applications with existing technology architectures, including interoperability, scalability, and cost considerations. Case examples illustrate how quantum systems can operate in environments where classical technologies face limitations. The chapter also discusses the possible business and economic implications of quantum sensing, imaging, and PNT and identifies research questions for further exploration.

Tad Hogg, David A. Fattal, Kay‐Yut Chen +1 more

Isaiah Hull, Or Sattath, Eleni Diamanti +1 more

Kho, R.K.D.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) and Accenture's 2025 white-paper Quantum Technologies: Key Opportunities for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains presents quantum computing, sensing, and security as near-term levers for industrial transformation. This critical review evaluates those claims against the current peer-reviewed literature and independent industry benchmarks. The analysis finds that quantum security (post-quantum cryptography, PQC) and selected sensing applications (e.g., dimensional metrology) are approaching commercial readiness (TRL 6–7). By contrast, the report's expectations for quantum-computing optimisation are heavily constrained by the limitations of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. The intrinsic NP-hard nature of large-scale manufacturing scheduling, together with technical barriers in sensor ruggedisation, high total cost of ownership (TCO), and an estimated talent gap covering less than 5 % of projected demand (Greinert et al., 2023), suggest that the WEF's timelines for broad industrial adoption are overly optimistic. The review concludes with recommendations for practitioners: focus pilot investments on quantum security and narrowly scoped sensing use cases, while maintaining a patient, long-term outlook for quantum-computing advantage.