Picture a quantum computer. It’s a maze of metal tubes, wires and curious components. It could be something out of a sci-fi movie, or a steampunk chandelier. But in reality, quantum computing is already here, and being deployed through the same cloud services we use every day. In fact, cloud has become the go-to method for making quantum computing accessible to everyone from startups to global enterprises. Why the cloud? It comes down to the fact that quantum computers are expensive, hard to manufacture and high-maintenance.

“Quantum computers require complex infrastructure that’s prohibitively expensive for most smaller organisations,” says Brian Pontarelli, CEO and founder of FusionAuth, an identity, access, and user management platform. They need to be cooled to temperatures colder than deep space and housed in specially designed facilities. “Quantum bits (qubits) are delicate. So putting them into a super-chilled state reduces external influences that can cause errors,” he says. But through Quantum-as-a-Service (QaaS), companies can skip the massive upfront investment and use the service in the cloud.