The office of procurement for enterprise manufacturers faces different supply chain and business challenges which can vary depending on industry and market vertical. As the move toward AI slowly envelopes manufacturing supply chains discussions in tech-savvy board rooms, questions about quantum computing are also taking shape.
Year to quantum (Y2Q) has potential to impact numerous industries, including manufacturing, by solving complex problems faster than classical computers and enhancing supply chain robustness in several ways. Given Y2Q is in its extremely early stages evaluating quantum computing vendors should take place in a structured framework to assess their capabilities, maturity, and alignment with procurement needs while focusing on separating hype from reality, ensuring scalability, and addressing practical enterprise applications, particularly for procurement and supply chain challenges.
For this article I am focusing on Y2Q vendor evaluation for the industrial market because I believe this vertical has potential to achieve one of the fastest ROIs, particularly for complex, electro-mechanical assemblies for global, enterprise manufacturing equipment firms integrating AI and quantum computing into the office of procurement for better supply chain management.
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Below, I outline key categories relevant to industrial enterprise procurement and include more than 50 targeted questions to ask quantum computing vendors. These questions aim to evaluate vendor technical capabilities, commercial readiness, and strategic fit while accounting for the early state of quantum computing technology.
- Vendor and supplier experience
- Quantum hardware capabilities
- Quantum algorithms for procurement challenges
- AI and machine learning integrations
- Procurement operational efficiency
- Supply chain analytics and optimization
- Scalability and deployment
- Security and data privacy
- Cost and ROI
- Support, training, and ecosystem
Vendor and supplier experience
- What is your company’s experience in delivering quantum computing solutions to enterprise clients, particularly in industrial manufacturing or procurement? Provide specific case studies or references.
- How long has your organization been developing quantum computing technologies, and what is your track record meeting development milestones?
- Are you primarily a hardware provider, software provider, or both? How do you collaborate with other quantum ecosystem players like IBM, Google, or startups?
- What is the size and expertise level of your quantum computing team, including researchers, engineers, and industry specialists?
- Can you provide financial stability metrics or funding details to assure long-term support for your quantum solutions?
- How do you handle intellectual property (IP) for algorithms or solutions developed for our procurement use cases?
