Comcast said it has completed a quantum algorithm network routing test with Classiq and AMD that focused on beefing up Internet resiliency and reliability. The wrap of the test arrives nearly five months after Comcast announced the test project and the opening of a quantum lab that’s based in Philadelphia.
The joint trial identified independent backup paths for network sites as Comcast performed regular maintenance or made changes to the network. If a network site is taken offline for routine maintenance and a second site should unexpectedly fail during that window, network traffic would be quickly rerouted without disrupting or degrading customer connectivity. The test applied both quantum techniques and high-performance classic computing. The quantum side of it used AMD’s Instinct GPUs to provide “qubit scale” computational capacity that’s not yet possible through quantum hardware alone. Classiq provided quantum software and engineering support.
The trial was set up to help Comcast get a better fix on how quantum software and technology could be used to address real network challenges. The test results showed that “quantum computing for network optimization isn’t theoretical – it’s practical, scalable and grounded in the needs of our customers,” Elad Nafshi, Comcast’s chief network office, said in a statement.
Managing and monitoring an increasingly complex network
In an emailed response to questions, Nafshi noted that the advantage of quantum is its ability to look at an infinite number of network factors instantaneously – an important capability for Comcast’s broadly deployed network. At the end of 2025, Comcast’s network passed nearly 65 million homes and businesses.
“Our network is so big and complex – over a million miles of physical network, 200 edge compute locations, 1,200 local headends, tens of thousands of routers, switches, edge computers, etc. – and there are so many factors that can impact our network at any given time,” Nafshi explained. “Quantum allows us to look at all of these factors simultaneously and leverage that to achieve the optimal outcome for our customers and our service reliability.”
Comcast didn’t say when this capability might become commercialized. However, Nafshi said ongoing work with its tech partners will enable Comcast to make progress with software as associated hardware capabilities continue to scale and mature to the size of Comcast’s network.
While quantum technologies are still in the early stages, it’s important for operators to engage with it now, explained James Crawshaw, practice leader, service provider transformation at Omdia, a sister company to Light Reading.
“It is important that telecom operators maintain some R&D activities in order to appear attractive to companies they want to do business with and individuals they would like to hire,” Crawshaw noted. “Quantum computing is still very nascent but as a potentially transformative technology it is important that forward-looking organizations engage with start-ups so they are not caught completely flat-footed should the technology suddenly take off.”
Crawshaw also agrees that telecom networks “become very computationally intensive” as networks scale up. “Classical computers and algorithms can do a very good job, but quantum computers can solve even more complex problems.”
To amplify that perspective, the analyst points to recent Classiq studies showing that Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) can find radio frequency allocations in a mobile network that reduce interference by 15% to 20% compared to classical algorithms.
Quantum unlikely to usurp classical computing anytime soon
Crawshaw said he expects early adopters to use quantum tech to “solve niche problems,” then to expand their usage as the technology matures. He notes that operators are exploring Quantum Key Distribution to securely share keys used to encrypt data, believing it could serve as a potential upsell opportunity to operator enterprise customers.
But don’t expect quantum to suddenly take over.
“It is unlikely to completely replace classical computing for a very long time, if ever,” the analyst explained. “It is more likely to be a complementary technology like it is in the Comcast trial where it is being used alongside classical, but high-performance compute from AMD.”
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