#341 Celia Merzbacher: Beyond the Buzzword: The Real State of Quantum Computing, Sensing, and AI in 2025

What does the quantum industry actually look like right now, beneath all the hype?

In this episode of Eye on AI, Craig Smith sits down with Celia Merzbacher, Executive Director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), to break down the real state of quantum technology in 2025. From market growth and enterprise readiness to the growing intersection with AI, Celia brings a grounded insider perspective on where the industry stands and what comes next.

Celia explains why the quantum market is growing faster than even the companies inside it predicted, with revenues rising roughly 27% year over year and actual numbers consistently beating forecasts. She also makes clear that the future is not quantum replacing classical computers. It is hybrid systems combining both to solve problems that simply cannot be solved today, with early use cases already emerging in pharmaceuticals, energy, finance, and defense.

We also get into quantum sensing, the most underrated corner of the quantum world. From biomedical imaging already in clinical trials to quantum clocks powering GPS and financial transaction timestamping, sensing is already partially commercialized and quietly reshaping industries most people have never connected to quantum at all.

Finally, Celia addresses the AI question directly. Will AI replace quantum? No. The two are complementary. AI is already accelerating quantum hardware design and algorithm discovery, and quantum may eventually improve how AI systems are trained. She closes with a clear message for enterprise leaders: the transition to quantum will not be a migration. It will be a paradigm shift, and the time to start preparing is now.

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Timestamp:

(00:00) Introduction: What Is QED-C and Why Does It Exist?

(01:57) Celia Merzbacher on Her Background and Role

(04:32) Annual Market Survey: How Fast Is Quantum Actually Growing?

(09:10) Where Quantum Revenue Is Coming From Today

(11:11) Timeline and the Race to Utility-Scale Quantum Computing

(13:23) Early Use Cases: Pharma, Energy, Finance and Hybrid Computing

(16:14) What Is Quantum Sensing and Why It Matters

(20:39) The Three Pillars: Hardware, Error Correction and Algorithms

(27:40) How Enterprises Should Start Preparing for Quantum Now (38:39) AI and Quantum: Allies Not Competitors