By @SiliconANGLE
Publication Date: 2026-04-28 02:49:00
Cisco Systems Inc.’s new Universal Quantum Switch introduced last week is a strong proof point regarding the network’s importance in scaling quantum.
For information technology leaders, the key takeaway is that quantum is shifting from isolated computing hardware to an interconnected fabric, and Cisco has been positioning itself as the core quantum interconnect for whatever qubit technologies ultimately prevail.
Why quantum needs a network
Quantum’s big promise, namely solving problems such as molecular simulation, materials discovery, portfolio optimization and large-scale scheduling, requires on the order of 10^5 to 10^6 logical qubits, far beyond what any single system will deliver this decade. Current roadmaps top out in the thousands, and possibly in the low tens of thousands, by 2030 at best.
That gap forces a fundamental architectural shift:
- Instead of betting on a single, gigantic quantum computer, the industry is converging on distributed quantum…