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When I think about the transistor’s impact, I think about everything that had to happen to make it commonplace. Compact, reliable solid-state switches helped enable modern computing, communications, medical devices and countless innovations. Decades of engineering and manufacturing made those capabilities accessible to the people and industries that could put them to use.
Nearly seventy years after transistors entered the commercial market, I see several technologies approaching similarly consequential periods of development. Artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and advanced robotics are expanding what I can imagine for industry, even as their eventual applications continue to take shape.
I felt that sense of responsibility throughout Quantum World Congress. Over several days, I spoke with leaders from industry, academia, investment, policy, and government. I kept returning to a practical concern whether the industrial foundation for quantum would be ready when customers needed it.
I left with a stronger conviction that building that foundation deserves attention now.
The manufacturing challenge I see in quantum
Across quantum computing, sensing and networking, there is scientific progress creating increasingly demanding hardware requirements. Translating those advances into deployable products takes sustained work on reliability, repeatability, and manufacturing.
Many quantum systems still rely on complex optical assemblies, specialized components and processes deployed for low-volume laboratory environments. Scaling those systems means producing consistent hardware, qualifying suppliers, and supporting equipment through its operating life.
I explored those requirements with my co-panelists during a session, “Scaling Quantum Hardware: Building a Resilient Supply Chain.” Our discussion brought together perspectives from Quantinuum, Infleqtion, and J.P. Morgan on the components, manufacturing capacity, and investment needed to support quantum deployment.
I came away thinking about the breadth of the semiconductor ecosystem. A fab depends on materials, equipment, packaging, skilled people, and a network of specialized suppliers. I believe quantum requires the same attention to the full industrial base, including the companies whose contributions are essential, but less visible.
Innovation in how quantum hardware is built
Much of the quantum ecosystem’s research and development has rightly focused on the physics.
In our work at Monarch Quantum, we see just as much need for innovation in how quantum hardware is built. Laboratory equipment gives researchers the flexibility to adjust optical mounts, tune components, and refine an experiment. Deployable systems need to preserve that carefully established performance through transport, temperature changes, vibration, and years oof operation.
Meeting those requirements takes disciplined materials selection, thoughtful optical and mechanical design, innovative and advanced automated assembly, and test processes that deliver consistent results. Manufacturing is a rich area for innovation, and the decisions we make there will help bring quantum’s extraordinary precision into practical use.
Building capacity ahead of demand
One of the hardest problems I see is the timing of investment.
Specialized manufacturing capacity can take years to establish. Suppliers need confidence in future orders to commit capital, hire people, and develop processes. Quantum system developers, in turn, need that capacity to meet their own performance and delivery goals.
Government procurement, milestone-based programs, and sustained public-private investment can help align those timelines. Credible commitments give suppliers a clearer basis for investing while applications and markets continue to develop.
We see a useful example in the CHIPS and Science Act’s support for quantum. The Department of Commerce’s September award to Quantinuum and other system providers addresses specific scaling bottlenecks, including integrated photonics, specialized semiconductors, and reliable optical components. This critically connects investment to the enabling technologies that system developers need.
We recommend that approach be carried through the broader quantum supply chain, with sustained attention to manufacturing processes, supplier qualification, and workforce development.
Where I believe strategic capital can make a difference
I explored the investment side further during “Scaling Quantum through Strategic Investment,” a fireside conversation with J.P. Morgan’s Sara O’Rourke, moderated by Dr. Norma Padron.
That conversation sharpened my thinking about where capital can have the greatest effect. There are opportunities throughout the ecosystem including component suppliers, production equipment, manufacturing processes, and the infrastructure that allows those businesses to grow.
JPMorganChase’s Security and Resiliency Initiative provides a relevant framework. Its $1.5 trillion, ten-year plan encompasses financing, facilitation, and investment in industries critical to economic security. It includes an initial $10 billion for direct equity and venture to capital investments, with quantum computing and advanced manufacturing among its focus areas.
The connection between those priorities is compelling. Investing in quantum growth also means understanding the manufacturing capabilities and supplier relationships that will support it.
Strategic value includes the capacity an investment helps establish. This includes skilled teams, dependable production, stronger supply chains, and the ability to deliver as demand grows.
Why I include governance in the industrial picture
I also left Quantum World Congress thinking about how closely industrial planning and governance are connected.
Long-term manufacturing commitments must consider access to suppliers, customers, and international partners. Export controls, intellectual-property protection and coordination with allies all influence those relationships.
I recommend a policy that protects sensitive capabilities and gives businesses enough clarity to plan. Predictable rules help companies decide where to build, which partnerships to pursue and how to commit resources over several years.
I believe that requires sustained engagement among technologists, policymakers, and regulators. From my perspective, governance belongs in the same planning conversation as manufacturing capacity and supply-chain resilience.
From invention to transformation
I see quantum approaching its own industrial moment, with engineering, manufacturing, and investment shaping how widely its capabilities can be used.
I return to the transistor because its history gives me a useful way to think about the work ahead. Its extraordinary impact grew as engineers, manufacturers, investors, and suppliers made it reliable, affordable, and widely available. There is a similar responsibility in quantum today. The full impact of quantum technologies has not fully emerged, but our team can help build the hardware and manufacturing foundation those applications will need. That is the work we want to advance at Monarch Quantum and the opportunity I carried home from Quantum World Congress.
Watch the conversations
Scaling Quantum Hardware: Building a Resilient Supply Chain | Quantum World Congress 2026
Scaling Quantum Through Strategic Investment | J.P. Morgan & Monarch Quantum QWC26