Quantum Technology: Cutting The Supply Chain Knot

Quantum Technology: Cutting The Supply Chain Knot

Share to Linkedin It seems in ancient Greece there was a man named Gordias, who devised a rope knot so large and complicated no one could untangle it. The claim was that the person who could undo the Gordian knot would become master of Asia. Then Alexander the Great showed up and with one swift sure stroke of his sword, cut the knot—and subsequently, true to prophecy, made himself master of Asia. Likewise, quantum computers are poised to cut the knot that has tied up supply chain management for centuries, and has made responding to the need to surge manufacturing or production of any commodity, highly problematic—that is, until now. Where to get the supplies and components you need, and how, to make a product or provide a service can be challenging enough. When you also try to forecast how much you'll need in future, it can become overwhelming. Just ask a lithium-ion battery maker trying to get the minerals he needs from the other end of the world; or an auto manufacturer facing today's microchip shortage. Ask any defense contractor who depends on a single supplier of a key component, what he or she will do if that supplier