By Bobby Corpus
The average person barely even heard of quantum computing, but in the next 20 years it’s possible to change the game in fields from cybersecurity and banking to medicine and artificial intelligence.
This sounds like science fiction, but governments and companies around the world are investing billions of dollars in quantum technology already. The United States, China, the European Union, Japan, and Australia all have national quantum strategies. Big tech firms including IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are also racing to make practical quantum computers.
So is quantum computing, and should Filipinos care?
To start understanding quantum computing, then, we’ve got to understand how ordinary computers behave.
Each computer operating on use today, from your smartphone to the world’s fastest supercomputers, uses bits, which can be either 0 or 1. These bits are fundamental building blocks of digital data.
Quantum computers have a different method: qubits, or quantum bits.
In contrast to a classical bit, a qubit can be in some superposition, meaning they are not limited to a definite 0 or 1 prior to being measured. And when multiple qubits become entangled, they form correlations that cannot be easily reproduced by classical computers. All these features combine to yield quantum algorithms robust new ways to process information. That enables quantum computers to tackle some kinds of problems in a very different manner.
One way to think of it is this: a classical computer is like someone searching a maze by testing paths one after another. A quantum computer operates differently. By way of interference, just like how noise-canceling headphones cancel unwanted sound, it can make dead ends disappear and the correct path more conspicuous.
To get through the day, like scrolling through Facebook or writing email, classical computers remain the right tool. Quantum computers do not matter because they will do everything better than classical computers, but rather that they may eventually outperform supercomputers on some problems that fit the structure of quantum algorithms.
The biggest implication for quantum computing is cybersecurity.
A lot of today’s internet security works with public key cryptography systems, such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). These cryptographic tools safeguard much of the world from online banking and government systems to blockchain networks and digital signatures. They are regarded as secure because the mathematical challenges behind them are hugely computationally heavy for classical computers to solve. RSA, for instance, relies upon the difficulty of factoring very large numbers. Even the faster classical supercomputers would take much longer than the age of the universe to break a typical 2048-bit RSA key. ECC, however, uses another kind of mathematical problem called elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problem, a problem which is not possible for classical computers to solve at scale.
A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could, however, potentially break RSA and ECC in hours or days with algorithms like Shor’s algorithm.
This is why governments and cybersecurity experts from all corners of the globe are already working to produce post-quantum cryptography, new encryption methods that can be kept secure even in the presence of quantum computers.
But quantum technology is not just about cracking encryption. Its most promising applications lie in science and medicine.
Quantum computers could soon enable scientists to study molecules and materials with greater precision, speeding the development of new drugs, advanced materials, batteries, catalysts, solar materials, and other energy-related technologies.
Quantum sensors might also help researchers measure physical phenomena like gravity or magnetic fields with incredible accuracy. It should be possible to someday enhance navigation, geological mapping and medical diagnosis.
Today’s finance and logistics companies are even considering whether quantum algorithms might assist in improving a series of complex systems such as supply chains, traffic networks, or investment portfolios, optimizing their performance.
What is the essence of this? Simply put, quantum will be applied to a vast array of fields.
This poses an important question: Where does the Philippines stand in all this?
We are still at an early stage, but the signs are encouraging. A Philippine quantum ecosystem is beginning to take shape. With the support from DOST, universities have begun some quantum-related research in power systems, photonics, AI, and advanced computing. In 2025, students, industry professionals and partners, and researchers gathered in Mactan, Cebu for QISTCon 2025, the first dedicated quantum computing conference in the Philippines. That momentum was solidified in February 2026, when DOST-PCIEERD convened the National Quantum Science and Technology Roadmapping Conference, bringing together much of the Philippine physics community along with selected industry participants.
In February 2026, the University of San Carlos unveiled two SPINQ Gemini Mini NMR-based quantum computers, bringing hands-on quantum computing to a university campus in the Philippines. At the same time, the Quantum Computing Society of the Philippines (QCSP) has been helping grow the community through lecture series, hackathons, conferences, and international collaborations. These efforts are still young, but they show that the country is no longer merely watching from the sidelines. It is beginning to build the foundations of its own quantum future.
Even more importantly, Filipino students are increasingly gaining access to quantum computing platforms through cloud-based services offered by companies like IBM. Even without having a physical quantum computer, researchers and students in the Philippines can already learn to program quantum algorithms. This offers a unique opportunity for Filipino students to get involved in a field that is still taking shape.
Quantum computing is still a relatively young field internationally. The machines today are of small, experimental technology, and large-scale practical systems may still be years away. But that also means the race is far from over. Countries that first invest in talent, research capacity, and partnerships now will be well- positioned when the technology becomes mature, and the Philippines still has an opportunity to be part of that future.
But the direction is clear. The internet, smartphones, and artificial intelligence changed the way we live; quantum technology could also be one of the defining technologies of the 21st century.
The question is not whether quantum computing will matter. The real challenge is ensuring that the Philippines continues building the momentum it has already begun. In the next column, we will look more closely at quantum computing itself, along with related technologies such as quantum sensing and quantum communications.
Bobby Corpus is a technical architect and the president of OneQuantum Philippines, the national chapter of a global community dedicated to advancing quantum technologies. A cum laude graduate in Physics from the National Institute of Physics, his expertise bridges foundational theory with enterprise systems, informed by his previous leadership roles at Deutsche Bank, Globe Telecom, and Red Hat. In addition to his work as a Technical Architect at Section6, he serves as a key advisor to the DOST-PCIEERD Quantum Technology Board and the OECD Global Forum on Technology, establishing him as a central figure in the Philippines’ emerging quantum computing landscape.
