On September 1, I’ll be speaking at Copenhagen .NET User Group about a topic I’ve become increasingly fascinated by: quantum computing.
The talk is called “The quantum advantage gap for developers.”
Quantum computing has been “the technology of the future” for quite a long time. We hear about increasing numbers of qubits, new quantum processors, error correction, logical qubits and predictions about when quantum computers will finally become useful.
But I think there is a more interesting question for those of us building software:
What happens between having powerful quantum computers and actually being able to build useful software with them?
That is what I call the quantum advantage gap.
Quantum advantage is not just a hardware problem
Much of the quantum conversation naturally focuses on hardware.
- How many qubits do we have?
- How good are they?
- How much error correction is required?
- When will we have enough logical qubits?
- Those are obviously important questions.
But even if sufficiently capable quantum hardware suddenly appeared tomorrow, most software organizations would have no idea what to do with it.
There is a substantial gap between quantum computers becoming technically capable and software teams being capable of taking advantage of them.
That gap includes programming models, algorithms, tooling, resource estimation, architecture and perhaps most importantly: understanding which problems actually make sense to approach with quantum computing.
It also requires us to rethink what a computer looks like.
Quantum probably won't replace your computer
One misconception I often encounter is the idea that quantum computers will eventually replace classical computers.
That is probably the wrong mental model.
A quantum computer is much more likely to become another specialized computing resource.
We already build systems this way.
CPUs handle general computation. GPUs accelerate highly parallel workloads. Cloud platforms give us access to enormous amounts of compute when we need it. AI models have become another computational capability that applications can call upon.
Quantum computing is likely to become part of that landscape.
The interesting future architecture therefore isn't:
Classical → Quantum
It is something closer to:
Classical + Cloud + HPC + AI + Quantum
Different types of computation working together, with software deciding which resources should solve which parts of a problem.
For developers and architects, I find that much more interesting than the quantum computer itself.
There is a new stack to understand
Writing quantum software is also very different from writing traditional software.
Concepts such as superposition, entanglement and measurement are only the beginning.
Once we move from understanding quantum mechanics to actually building something, new questions appear very quickly.
- How do we describe a quantum algorithm?
- How many physical qubits would it require?
- How many logical qubits?
- How expensive is error correction?
- How long would the computation take?
- Which parts should execute classically and which should execute on quantum hardware?
And perhaps the most important question:
- Would a quantum computer actually make this problem better?
That last question is where I think developers have an important role to play.
Preparing doesn't mean betting on quantum
I don't think companies should suddenly start rewriting their applications for quantum computers.
And I certainly don't think every developer needs to become a quantum physicist.
But I do think we are approaching the point where technical leaders, architects and curious developers should start building a basic understanding of quantum computing.
Not because quantum is production-ready today.
Because when useful quantum advantage begins appearing for specific problems, organizations will need people who understand enough to recognize it.
There will be a difference between companies asking:
"What is this quantum thing everybody is talking about?"
and companies asking:
"Could this particular optimization, simulation or computational problem benefit from quantum?"
That difference won't be created overnight.
From quantum 0 → 1
My goal with the talk on September 1 is therefore not to convince everyone that quantum computing is about to change everything.
Quite the opposite.
I want to give developers a grounded introduction to where quantum computing actually is, what makes it fundamentally different, what still stands between today's systems and practical quantum advantage, and how it may eventually fit into the architectures we already build.
We'll go from the fundamental concepts of quantum computing to programming quantum systems, resource estimation and hybrid architectures — and look at how quantum could interact with AI, HPC, cloud platforms and classical software.
Most importantly, we'll explore what developers can start learning before quantum becomes practical.
Because perhaps the biggest quantum challenge isn't just building sufficiently powerful quantum computers.
It is making sure we know what to do with them when they arrive.
The quantum advantage gap for developers
September 1, 2026 · 16:30–18:00 Copenhagen .NET User Group Twoday, Sundkaj 125, Copenhagen
The event is free, and you can find the details and registration on the CNUG Meetup page.