Quantum promises a new future, but can it be sustainable?

Every AI query has a cost. As data centres expand to keep up with demand, that cost is becoming harder to ignore. Quantum computers may offer a way around it: some can run calculations using particles that consume almost no energy at all. That possibility was at the centre of a discussion bringing together six experts to ask what a sustainable quantum future might actually look like.

This was the focus of the second edition of the 2026 Quantum & AI Breakfast series, organised by the ��Vlog in partnership with the Luxembourg AI Factory, through the Green Economy Hub hosted at LIST. Held as part of the HPC Continuum Conference 2026, it brought together contributions from LIST, SnT (��Vlog), Quandela and LuxQuantum.

Opening the event, Florian Kaiser, Group Leader for Quantum Materials and FNR PEARL Chair at LIST, highlighted the importance of quantum and AI for Luxembourg.

Orbit under pressure

The first talk took the audience “into orbit”. Miguel Olivares-Mendez, Professor in Space Robotics at the ��Vlog, explored how AI and quantum computing can be combined with robotics to support more sustainable use of space.

As the number of satellites around Earth continues to grow, so does the challenge of space debris. Small fragments, sometimes only a few centimetres wide, can travel at extremely high speeds and pose serious risks to satellites, space stations and astronauts.

“We should learn from what we did on Earth and do better,” said Miguel. For him, sustainability in space is not only about cleaning up debris, it’s also about reducing the amount of new debris that is created.

AI plays a central role in this vision today, and quantum offers even more possibilities. Space robots need to operate in environments that are unknown, uncertain, and often too risky for humans, and quantum technologies are now offering new capabilities, particularly for visibility in interacting with objects. Miguel explained that his team is already integrating quantum sensors into their research approach. These include single-photon cameras, which use the quantum photon to capture images even in the most challenging lighting conditions. Visibility is currently a significant challenge in space, and these sensors offer the potential to offset that completely.

Quantum is not just faster, it’s different

Jean Senellart, Chief Technology and Product Officer at Quandela, then shifted the discussion from space to computing. His message was clear: quantum computing should not be seen simply as a faster version of classical computing.

As some quantum systems manipulate individual particles, such as photons, they could eventually perform certain computations with far less energy than classical systems, Jean explained. In a world where complex computation will only increase, this means that quantum computers can offer a sustainability advantage.

As AI is fueled by massive computational power, this matters. Today’s models require enormous amounts of data and computing power, making efficiency one of the major challenges of modern artificial intelligence.

Rather than replacing classical computing, Jean argued that the future will be hybrid. Quantum processors, GPUs, CPUs and HPC systems will need to work together, each used where it makes the most sense. “Quantum is not the solution by itself,” he said. “The current solution is the combination.”

Making digital infrastructure quantum-safe

The panel discussion then considered the potential environmental impact of rolling-out all new quantum computing technology. Samira Chaychi, co-founder of LuxQuantum, explained that for quantum-safe technologies, sustainability is also about building secure and interoperable digital infrastructure.

“With the emergence of quantum, some challenges appear with the security of our current computing infrastructure,” she said. “We need solutions against quantum attacks that don’t require overhauling everything,” said Samira.

This broader definition of sustainability returned throughout the panel. For some speakers, sustainability meant reducing energy consumption. For others, it meant avoiding duplicated infrastructure, extending the lifetime of satellites, developing standards, building talent pipelines or ensuring Europe does not depend entirely on technologies developed elsewhere.

Europe’s quantum roadmap

The discussion also addressed Europe’s position in the global quantum race. According to Florian, Europe has a realistic roadmap for quantum communication, particularly through initiatives such as the Quantum Internet Alliance, as well as EuroQCI and the Quantum Internet Initiative.

“The ambition is to build the global quantum internet made in Europe,” said Florian

The goal is to lay the foundations for a future quantum internet, including the industrial production of quantum network nodes. This will not happen overnight: the timeline discussed during the panel points towards 2039, with key decisions on hardware platforms expected earlier in the decade.

From “spooky” science to tomorrow’s technology

Closing the event, Jens Kreisel, Rector of the ��Vlog, reflected on two words: “dream” and “spooky”.

Quantum science, he said, has inspired generations of students because it feels mysterious, ambitious and exciting. The same is increasingly true of AI. Both fields can appear difficult to grasp, but both are already shaping technologies that will define the coming decades.

“We need to make people dream of their future,” Jens said. “Dreams are motivators for young people to start studying.”

He also recalled that quantum entanglement was once described by Einstein as “spooky”. What was once a deeply theoretical scientific debate is now becoming the basis for quantum computing, communication, sensing and cryptography.

For Jens, this is a reminder that ”fundamental science opens doors which you did not even know existed.”

One message emerged clearly from this Quantum & AI Breakfast: the future of sustainability will not be shaped by one technology alone. It will depend on how quantum, AI, robotics, HPC, secure communication, talent and infrastructure come together.

As Jens concluded, “What is spooky, and what makes us dream today, might well become the strategic technology of tomorrow.”