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Robert Wille, a Technical University of Munich researcher and co-founder of a quantum software company, says the field needs design automation and production-ready tools as it moves from research toward practical applications. In an interview published by The Quantum Insider, he also argues for software that can work across different quantum hardware and integrate with high-performance computing environments.
Robert Wille, a computer scientist at the Technical University of Munich and co-founder of a quantum software company, says the quantum computing field needs design automation and production-ready software to move beyond basic research. In an interview published by The Quantum Insider on October 17, 2026, he described the industry as entering a demanding transition toward practical applications, while stressing that software must connect users to different hardware systems.
Wille said he has worked in quantum computing for more than 15 years. He described his company, founded a little more than a year before the interview, as a way to take university research and turn it into software that can be used in a commercial setting. He said academic research can generate innovation, but production-ready development requires a different environment.
He argued that quantum software cannot be reduced to developing a small number of famous algorithms, such as Shor’s and Grover’s. Wille expects computing environments to combine quantum processors with CPUs, GPUs and AI processors, with different technologies suited to different tasks. He said quantum computing could have applications beyond the two algorithms often cited, but did not identify specific customer deployments or quantify expected performance gains.
Wille pointed to a software landscape that includes Qiskit as well as approaches such as MLIR and QIR. He praised IBM and the Qiskit community for open-source development, while saying the field should support multiple approaches that remain compatible where possible. Software also needs to accommodate distinct hardware types, including superconducting devices, neutral atoms and ion traps, without making users manage every underlying difference.
Software Could Link Quantum Hardware
The argument matters because quantum computers do not become useful to most organizations through hardware advances alone. Users need programming tools, workflows and software layers that translate a problem into instructions suited to a particular system. Wille’s emphasis on design automation is about reducing the specialized work needed to build and optimize those programs.
Interoperability could also affect how companies and researchers choose systems. If software can accommodate multiple hardware modalities, users may have more flexibility to match a task to a device rather than rewrite their entire workflow for each provider. Wille’s comments are a view of the field’s needs, not evidence that such portability or practical advantage has already been achieved at scale.
His call to integrate quantum computing with high-performance computing (HPC) reflects a broader expectation that quantum processors will operate alongside conventional systems, rather than replace them. That approach would make software responsible for coordinating different kinds of computing resources. The interview does not provide a timetable or describe a deployed system that already does this.
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From University Research to Products
Wille described quantum computing as moving from a period dominated by basic research toward applied research and, eventually, practical applications. He said the field has not yet reached the point where quantum computing can be broadly exploited, though he expects progress over the next few years. That forecast is his assessment, not a confirmed industry-wide deadline.
His career combines academic research at the Technical University of Munich with company-building. He said the company was established a little more than a year before the interview to commercialize work developed in an academic setting. The supplied interview material does not name the company or detail its products, customers, funding or commercial results.
On programming tools, Wille characterized Qiskit as influential in building an open-source community, but not necessarily the sole foundation for future development. He cited MLIR and QIR as examples of approaches linked more closely to broader compiler infrastructure. His position was that different tools can serve different purposes, provided they can work together and address the requirements of different hardware platforms.
“We are not completely there yet that we really can exploit quantum computing.”
— Robert Wille, in an interview with The Quantum Insider
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Adoption and Timelines Remain Open
The interview does not establish when quantum computers will deliver practical value for particular industries, which applications will benefit, or how performance should be measured against classical systems. Wille said useful applications may emerge in the next few years, but supplied no project-level schedule or evidence that this timing is assured.
It is also unclear how the software approaches he discussed will interoperate in practice, which standards or platforms will gain wider adoption, and how much design automation can reduce development effort. The source material does not identify the company’s name, a specific product release, customer deployments or independent evaluations. Wille’s forecasts and recommendations should be read as his perspective in an interview, rather than confirmed outcomes for the sector.
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Watch for Tools and Deployments
The interview points to software development, compatibility work and integration with HPC systems as areas to watch, but it announces no specific product launch or upcoming milestone. The company’s next steps, and whether it will publish details about its software or customers, are not stated in the supplied material.
Evidence of progress would include published technical documentation, demonstrations across more than one hardware type, independent evaluations of automated design tools, and deployments that show how quantum processors are coordinated with conventional computing resources. Until such details are available, Wille’s comments describe priorities for moving toward practical use rather than proof that the transition has been completed.
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Key Questions
What did Robert Wille say quantum software needs?
Wille argued that quantum computing needs design automation, production-ready software and tools that connect users with hardware. He said algorithms alone will not make quantum systems practical.
Who is Robert Wille?
Wille is a computer scientist and researcher at the Technical University of Munich who said he has worked in quantum computing for more than 15 years. He is also a co-founder of a quantum software company.
Does Wille expect quantum computing to replace CPUs and GPUs?
No. He described a heterogeneous computing environment in which quantum processors work alongside CPUs, GPUs and other specialized processors. He said different technologies may suit different applications.
What software platforms did Wille discuss?
He discussed Qiskit, MLIR and QIR. He praised Qiskit’s open-source role and said multiple approaches should be able to coexist and remain compatible where possible.
Did the interview announce a product or confirm a deployment date?
No. The material provides no specific product launch, customer deployment or confirmed timetable for practical quantum applications. Wille’s comments describe his assessment and priorities for the field.
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