Do you need access to a quantum computer to use these methods?

No. The methods that pay off today — quantum-inspired optimisation, tensor networks, physics-informed models — run on classical hardware. Quantum hardware access matters for research on near-term devices, but no production system we have shipped required it.

This is worth being blunt about because procurement conversations often start from the assumption that a hardware contract is the first step. It is not, and starting there spends budget before the problem has been characterised.

The first step is establishing whether your problem has structure these methods exploit. That is a two-to-three week exercise on existing data and existing machines.

Written by Binary AI Labs · Reviewed 2026-09-06