If industry leaders' forecasts hold true, 2030 will usher in the decade of quantum computing, causing an explosion of innovation much like machine learning and artificial intelligence have over the last decade. Yaad Oren, a managing director at SAP Labs, one of the world's biggest software companies, shared how to get into this growing field.
Quantum computing is a multidisciplinary field involving elements from computer science, physics, and mathematics. It leverages quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than is possible using classical computers, with researchers optimistic it could revolutionize medicine, data privacy, and more. Advancement in the field relies both on hardware research and software and algorithmic development — and the quantum business is booming.
According to research by Boston Consulting Group, the industry attracted $1.2 billion from venture capitalists in 2023 despite a 50% drop in overall tech investments that year. BCG projects that quantum computing will create between $450 billion and $850 billion of economic value globally and sustain a $90-$170 billion market for hardware and software providers by the year 2040.
LinkedIn shows that the salary bands for jobs in quantum computing range from $150,000 on the low end and balloon well past $500,000 a year, depending on the role and company. So what does it take to break into this growing — and lucrative — field?
Oren is the managing director and global head of research and innovation of SAP Labs US. SAP is the world's largest non-American software company by revenue and a leader in cloud-based quantum computing.
He told Business Insider that recruiters in the field look for curiosity more than anything else.
"Of course, we need expertise — and quantum is a very deep science and practice that requires a lot of knowledge — but if you follow the industry, you see there are also many disruptions going with quantum," Oren said. "We're definitely looking for change agents and curiosity is needed because, I mean, the industry is not sure at all that the current quantum technology we have now will be the winning architecture. It's like building a building from the ground floor."
With so much of the final architecture of the quantum landscape still undecided, the companies advancing the technology — including IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon — are reliant on new ideas, and researchers resilient enough to handle failure, Oren said.
"Some projects will be successful, some of them will fail," Oren said. "This is why I think many young people coming to the industry have the ability to be change agents and challenge the paradigm that we have today."
For those looking to break into the industry, expertise in developing algorithms, hardware engineering, cryptography, and data science are skills in high demand. There's a lot of overlap with those working now in artificial intelligence, and the two technologies will feed off each other. Still, a wide range of engineering skills and computer science is required to fulfill the promise of quantum computing — and workers who manage to snag one of these in-demand quantum roles should be prepared to wear multiple hats.
"The average day is very diverse at the moment because the field is maturing very fast, and there's so much to do," Oren said.
A typical day for a quantum expert at SAP Labs starts with conducting research, the complexity of which varies depending on the project being tackled. However, the company's researchers also partner with academics, work on public-funded projects with various governments, and meet with business clients to identify and address their needs.
"But because there are so many stakeholders and interests, the diversity of what we do and who we work with is very, very interesting," Oren said. "Since there's so much interest, it's a very, very interesting time to be in quantum — not only in the lab in the university, which is great."
If he had one suggestion for a newcomer entering the quantum computing field, it'd be to develop expertise in adjacent fields like quantum physics, quantum mechanics, and quantum chemistry — because, unlike their classical applications, working with quantum is an entirely different language and set of skills.
"Quantum is working on exponential complexity, which means, if you have many variables, it's not a linear growth of complexity — it's an exponential one," Oren said. But with that complexity, he added, comes "so many opportunities to build."
