Quantum Computing Speeds Up, but Workforce Challenges Remain
June 5, 2026
Microsoft has released a new quantum computing chip, designed using artificial intelligence, and set a 2029 target date for when quantum computers will reach commercial operation—the same timeframe that competitor IBM plans for its quantum machines, Reuters reports. To be ready, Sean Dudley and Marisa Brazil argue in Issues that the United States must work quickly to prepare the needed quantum workforce. This will require developing educational pathways for quantum technologies that span high schools, community colleges, and undergraduate and graduate settings and that reach diverse and often overlooked populations across society.