# How Quantum Computers May Change the Next 10 Years: Reading the Next Technology Race After AI
After AI became an everyday tool, quantum computing is often named as the next candidate for technological power. The name is familiar, but the question “what changes in my work or industry?” remains vague.
The video from “This Science, That Science” addresses that point well. A quantum computer is not a faster laptop. It is a technology that handles certain calculation problems in a fundamentally different way.
The key is balance between hype and indifference. Not every encryption system collapses tomorrow, but quantum computing is not pure science fiction either.
## Why look at quantum computing again now?
Quantum computing is drawing attention for the same broad reason AI did: infrastructure, investment, talent, and national strategy move together around the technology.
Professor Kim Beom-jun describes it as a computer based on quantum mechanics. Ordinary computers calculate with bits, 0 and 1; quantum computers handle qubits. But this does not mean they are always faster. They may open new paths for certain problems, not replace everyday document work or web browsing.
## What do qubits change?
Qubits are the starting point. The video explains superposition and interference in accessible language: instead of following only one path, quantum computation handles many possibilities and draws out meaningful results at the end.
But a mysterious process does not guarantee perfect output. Quantum states are fragile and sensitive to error. Qubit count, error correction, and control technology all matter. The competition is not only “how many qubits,” but who can control them stably and connect them to useful algorithms and software.
## The first area to shake is cryptography and security
Security may be the first area the public feels. The video raises questions about Bitcoin, encryption, and certificate systems.
The issue is preparation, not panic. If sufficiently powerful quantum computers appear, some existing public-key cryptography could become vulnerable. NIST has already released post-quantum cryptography standards to prepare for that transition.
For companies, the realistic question is not “Will a quantum computer break my system today?” but “When should we change long-term data protection and authentication systems?”
## Commercialization bottlenecks: equipment, cost, and ecosystem
Quantum computers look like chandeliers because of physical requirements: cryogenic environments, control lines, and noise suppression.
For some time, quantum computing will likely remain cloud-based research and industrial infrastructure rather than a personal device. Like high-end GPUs, it may spread through access rights and usage capability rather than direct ownership.
Korea’s preparation should be judged the same way: not by whether it owns one machine, but by whether researchers, software, industrial problems, security transition, and education move together.
## The next technology after AI, or a technology that goes with AI?
The video title asks whether quantum is “after AI.” More precisely, AI and quantum computing meet at different layers. AI changes judgment and generation through data and models. Quantum computing tries to handle difficult calculations in drug discovery, materials, optimization, cryptography, and simulation.
The key question for the next decade is not who first makes a consumer product. It is who first connects quantum computing to real industrial usefulness.
## What individuals and organizations should do now
Most people do not need to learn quantum computing immediately. But they should understand the questions it will change. Security teams should review post-quantum roadmaps. Strategy teams should identify calculation-heavy areas such as drug discovery, materials, logistics, and financial optimization. Educators should prepare simple language for bits versus qubits, probabilistic computation, error correction, and limits of application.
## Related reading
- The decisive difference between companies in the AI era
- The Anthropic Mythos shock
- AI and the future of work
## FAQ
### Are quantum computers always faster than ordinary computers?
No. They are expected to have advantages for specific calculation problems, not ordinary office or web use.
### Will encryption collapse immediately when quantum computers arrive?
No. But data and authentication that require long-term security should prepare for post-quantum transition.
### Is quantum computing really the next technology after AI?
It is better seen as strategic infrastructure after AI, not just the next trend. It addresses different problems and may connect with AI in industry.
### What should Korean companies prepare first?
Security transition, industrial problem discovery, talent and partnerships, and cloud-based experimental access before buying hardware.
## References