Abstract

Quantum computing is a new paradigm that will revolutionize various areas of computing, especially cloud computing. Quantum computing, still in its infancy, is a costly technology that can operate in highly isolated environments because of its rapid response to environmental factors. This makes quantum computing a challenging technology for researchers to access. These problems can be solved by integrating quantum computing into an isolated remote server, such as a cloud, and making it available to users. Furthermore, experts predict that quantum computing, with its ability to swiftly resolve complex and computationally intensive operations, will offer significant benefits in systems that process large amounts of data, like cloud computing. This article presents the vision and challenges for the quantum cloud computing paradigm that will emerge with the integration of quantum and cloud computing. Next, we present the advantages of quantum computing over classical computing applications. We analyze the effects of quantum computing on cloud systems, such as cost, security, and scalability. Besides all of these advantages, we highlight research gaps in quantum cloud computing, such as qubit stability and efficient resource allocation. This article identifies the advantages and challenges of quantum cloud computing for future research, highlighting research gaps.

Introduction

The concept of quantum first entered the literature when it was discovered by atomic physicists in the early 1900s (Heim et al., 2020). The idea that a computer could be produced using quantum mechanics was first expressed by Richard Feynman in 1981 (Kandala et al., 2017). Since it was very difficult to maintain the stability of qubits operating based on quantum superposition and quantum entanglement, the first quantum computer prototypes began to emerge in the early 2000s only with the efforts of pioneering companies such as IBM (Singh and Bhangu, 2023). Quantum computers are still in the development phase, and it is predicted that they can perform a task in as little as 200 s, which would take 10,000 years for the world’s best supercomputer (Sasaki et al., 2014). For this reason, complex and long-lasting processes such as the behavior of molecules can be carried out very quickly with quantum-based computers (von Lilienfeld et al., 2020). In addition, it is obvious that quantum computing will be one of the technologies that will shape the future as it begins to enter the military, civil, and commercial fields (Nahar et al., 2023).

In addition to the advantages they offer, quantum computers require a highly insulated environment because they are sensitive to external factors such as heat, temperature, and noise (Bernstein and Lange, 2017). For this reason, quantum computers are still an expensive and difficult-to-stabilize technology for end users. The idea of researchers being able to access quantum computer resources by integrating quantum computers with cloud computing was put forward as an extremely bright idea Ma et al. (2022). In this way, quantum computers can be placed in a highly isolated data center and provide service to the endpoints of the server. This model is called quantum cloud computing and a platform service can be offered for researchers where they can apply quantum applications and algorithms (Lou et al., 2024).

Conclusions

Quantum computing is a new paradigm that is still in its infancy but has the potential to revolutionize many scientific and technological fields in the future. Due to quantum mechanics, quantum computers operate in well-insulated environments, making them susceptible to environmental factors like heat, temperature, and noise. As a result, it is still a difficult technology for quantum researchers to reach. By integrating quantum computing into cloud platforms, a well-isolated server can provide service to the network’s edge, reducing costs. This brilliant idea may be possible with quantum cloud computing, which combines quantum computing and cloud computing. This article aims to provide guidance for researchers by highlighting the quantum cloud computing paradigm, future application areas, advantages, challenges, and research gaps.