Global Quantum Forum

Event Schedule

Day 1: Wednesday, July 23

Day 2: Thursday, July 24

Speakers

Attendees will hear from the following speakers, with more to be announced soon.

• James Appathurai, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid, and Cyber
• JB Pritzker, Illinois Governor
• Christopher Womack, CEO, Southern Company
• Jon Finer, Former Deputy National Security Advisor
• Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM
• Bobby Mehta, Board Chair, JLL
• Jennifer Scanlon, President & CEO, UL Solutions
• Dr. Peter Shadbolt, Ph.D, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder, PsiQuantum
• Penny Pritzker, former US Secretary of Commerce; Founder & Chairman, PSP Partners
• Jeremy O'Brien, CEO, PsiQuantum
• Tom Wilson, CEO, The Allstate Corporation

Panel Sessions

Wednesday

Panel 1: Quantum 101: What Everyone Needs to Know
Wait, what exactly is quantum? This session offers a friendly, jargon-free introduction to quantum computing—what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters beyond the lab. With the quantum market projected to grow from $1.2 billion today to as much as $850 billion by 2040, now is the time to get ahead of this transformative technology. Whether you're a policymaker, investor, founder, or just figuring out what a qubit is, this session sets the stage for why everyone should be paying attention.

Panel 2: Quantum Diplomacy: A New Global Foreign Policy Race
Quantum isn’t just a scientific race—it’s a geopolitical one. As quantum capabilities evolve, nations are grappling with their strategic, security, and economic implications. This conversation explores the emerging field of quantum diplomacy and the critical need for international cooperation before competition takes the lead.

Panel 3: Powering the Future: Quantum’s Role in the Energy Transition
Quantum technologies could become a force multiplier in the global shift to clean energy—helping optimize power systems, accelerate materials discovery, and reduce emissions. This panel explores how quantum might reshape how we produce, store, and distribute energy—and why the time to plan is now.

Panel 4: When Quantum Comes for the Data Center 
Data centers could soon be quantum data centers. This session explores how quantum-ready infrastructure could unlock vast new compute power, and what the transition means for cloud, energy, and enterprise innovation.

Panel 5: The Quantum-AI Convergence: What Happens When Machines Get Smarter
Quantum and AI are two of the most powerful technologies of our time—and they’re on a convergence and collision course. This session dives into what happens when these systems work together: how AI can help accelerate quantum breakthroughs, and how quantum might eventually supercharge AI’s potential. Together, these technologies may redefine what's possible—pushing the boundaries of how we compute, reason, and innovate.

Thursday

Panel 6: Risky Business: Quantum and its Implications for Security, Payments, and Encryption
The world is getting riskier—and quantum technology may be one of our best defenses (and risks). Global cybercrime is projected to cost $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, up from $3 trillion in 2015. This panel explores how quantum can strengthen the systems we rely on—securing financial transactions, protecting data, and redefining trust in a high-stakes digital era.

Panel 7: Quantum and Human Health: Rewriting the Rules of Medicine
From decoding protein folding to designing new drugs, quantum computing could unlock insights into biology that are currently beyond reach. This session dives into how quantum is being applied to biomedical innovation, and what it means for the future of health and life sciences.

Panel 8: A Conversation on Global AI and Quantum Leadership
In this moment of rapid technological change, leadership matters—not just in the lab, but across boardrooms and governments. This conversation explores the role of business and public sector leaders in shaping how frontier technologies like AI and quantum are deployed, governed, and scaled. What kind of leadership do we need now—and what kind will we need next?

Panel 9: Solving the Unsolvable: Quantum and Humanity's Grand Challenges 
We have a history of tackling grand challenges, such as the moon mission and the human genome project. Might we accelerate the development of quantum by thinking in this way? This panel explores how thinking in this way has worked in the past, examples in other fields in the present and what it could mean for quantum in the future.

Panel 10: Chip War 2.0: The Quantum Front 
The global chip war has defined the balance of power for decades. In the first half of this session, we’ll revisit the Cold War-era semiconductor race and the geopolitical tensions it set in motion. In the second half, we’ll shift to Chip War 2.0, as quantum drives a new wave of competition around hardware, supply chains, and national advantage. What’s at stake—and how do we get ahead of it this time?

Panel 11: Location, Location, Location: The Role of Regions in Quantum Development 
Quantum won’t be built in one place—it will emerge from a network of regional ecosystems. This panel unpacks how cities and countries are assembling their assets, coordinating across sectors, and staking out their competitive edge in the quantum economy.

Panel 12: Big Bets, Smart Money: Global Investors on What's Next 
Where is global capital going—and why? Hear from leading investors on what they’re watching in quantum and AI, what excites them about deep tech, and how they’re navigating risk in a rapidly shifting frontier.

Panel 13: Democracy in the Age of Quantum + AI by Wall Street Journal 
For the first time, we’ll reveal what Americans really think about quantum and AI—new national polling data that has never been captured before. As emerging technologies reshape everything from elections to economies, public trust and understanding are more important than ever. This session explores the intersection of technology and democracy, revealing how citizens view these innovations—and what that means for policy, perception, and the future of public life.

Ticket Pricing

$395 General Conference Admission
Access to the panels and breakfast/lunch networking sessions July 23-24.

$25 Xchange Chicago Tour (Add-On)
Wednesday, July 23 (Transportation provided)

• 9:00 - 10:00 am: Tour Xchange Chicago, an innovative onshore IT delivery center opening its $20 million tech hub and training center on the South Side of Chicago in late 2025.
• 10:00 - 11:00 am: P33 TechRise Pitch Competition featuring local early-stage startups in quantum-related areas, including security, AI, energy, and more.

$125 Dinner (Add-On)
Reserve your seat at the dinner on Wednesday, July 23, at 6:45 pm with a special guest speaker to be announced.