Advancing the Sustainability of Quantum Computing and Quantum AI: Bridging Policy Gaps with a Preliminary Framework

The paper analyses the environmental sustainability of quantum computing, and quantum AI in particular. This analysis addresses a critical gap in both the literature and policy discussion. Particularly, policy documents on quantum technologies and quantum computing poorly consider the sustainability requirement. When they do so, the focus is mainly on how quantum innovation can help us create more sustainable solutions and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals more easily. Rarely, do they scrutinise the intrinsic sustainability of quantum computing and quantum AI systems. The paper proposes a way to fill this gap by comparing the sustainability challenges of quantum computing with those of AI systems: building on this comparison, this work offers a preliminary framework for assessing the environmental sustainability of quantum computing systems.