HSBC has claimed a major breakthrough in applying quantum computing to financial markets. On Thursday, the bank said that experimental trials with IBM had delivered a 34% improvement in predicting bond trading outcomes. The trial is being touted as the first piece of empirical evidence that quantum hardware can deliver real-world value on the trading floor.
Quantum computing’s potential remains mostly theoretical, with many breakthroughs demonstrated under controlled conditions rather than in real-world trading. So far, these have largely been proofs of concept, showing promise without widespread practical application. Quantum chips take advantage of subatomic, quantum-level “uncertainty” that allows them to process multiple tasks in parallel. Traditional analog chips process tasks sequentially, and are thus far slower. Quantum computing can solve problems in minutes; analog chips would take hours, days or years to process the same calculations.
