Quantum for Energy and Utilities 2026

Technology adoption actions across five key areas FIGURE 11 Adoption action (strategy) Pilot on clear pain points Co-fund with partners or public programmes Integrate quantum into existing strategy Pursue quick wins with long-term upside Set quantitative pilot KPIs Appoint senior value sponsor Create reusable ROI and business-case tools Replace costly or painful analyses first92% 69% 58% 50% 46% 42% 38% 27% Adoption action (technology) Set technical acceptance criteria Focus early pilots on hybrid approaches Document and share lessons from failures as well as successes Participate in joint benchmark exercises Limit operational pilots to non-critical or shadow modesRe-use existing HPC/AI infrastructure and workflowsWork with specialized partners with energy-specific expertiseUse realistic test cases based on actual system models81% 81% 69% 69% 58% 54% 50% 46% Adoption action (data and integration) Start with use cases needing limited high-quality data Standardize data formats and interfaces Allocate a dedicated integration champion for each pilot Create clean reference models for key systems Involve OT/SCADA and IT teams from day oneBuild APIs and adapters for operational integrationUse synthetic or anonymized datasets for early testsCreate a shared internal library of models and datasets72% 64% 52% 52% 48% 44% 36% 36% Adoption action (security and compliance) Develop a quantum-safe security roadmap Work with regulators on acceptable quantum use Involve cybersecurity and compliance teams from day one Conduct a crypto and security audit Create incident and fallback proceduresRequire security and compliance clauses in vendor contractsStart pilot deployments of quantum-safe cryptographyEstablish clear data-handling policies88% 71% 71% 71% 67% 67% 54% 42% Adoption action (people and culture) Provide basic quantum awareness sessions Encourage safe experimentation with no guaranteed ROI Create mixed teams of domain and technical specialists Include quantum topics in existing training programmes Rotate staff through pilot projects for hands-on exposureRecognize pilot and learning time in performance objectivesUse storytelling and concrete examplesIdentify a small group of internal champions80% 68% 68% 64% 60% 48% 48% 32% Source: Community survey, World Economic Forum’s Quantum for Energy and Utilities Working Group, February 2026. Quantum for Energy and Utilities: Key Opportunities for Energy Transition 36