The quantum journey: a research notebook

Quantum at REKA is study, problem framing and honest advice. We do not build quantum computers and we have not deployed a quantum solution. This notebook records how the work began and where it stands.

Each entry says how it is documented: a source you can open, or confirmed by REKA’s co-founder, who took part.

Read the notebookQuantum in the Lab today

The notebook

Dated entries, from the first study to the questions we put to clients today. Each margin note says how the entry is documented.

  1. 2022Learning the grammar

    Study comes first

    REKA’s quantum work began as study. In 2022 the co-founder completed two MIT xPRO online courses: Introduction to Quantum Computing, from January to February, and Quantum Algorithms for Cybersecurity, Chemistry and Optimization, in March.

    Confirmed by REKA

    Course certificates to follow.

  2. Apr 2023Listening to the field

    Quantum.Tech APAC 2023, Singapore

    The co-founder attended Quantum.Tech APAC, an industry conference, on 4 and 5 April 2023 at the Equarius Hotel, Sentosa. He recalls being among the only attendees from Malaysia.

    He also attended a workshop on dual-use quantum IP, including defence applications. That was attendance only: REKA has no defence partnership.

    Confirmed by REKA

    The programme and photographs will be added when gathered.

  3. LabFrom study to a question

    A question we can test today

    The study became a Lab experiment, EXP-06, Quantum × AI, with a question that does not need a quantum computer to answer:

    Can quantum-inspired optimisation methods outperform classical solvers on the routing, allocation and scheduling problems already present in our product domains, before quantum hardware is required?

    Documented

    The Lab’s experiment record

  4. MethodFrame, then compare

    Formulation first, a classical baseline always

    A hard problem is cast in quantum-ready form, a QUBO or Ising model, then solved with what runs today and measured against the best classical method. If classical wins, that is the answer, and it is the one we ship.

    Documented

    The Lab’s method

  5. NowReadiness and advice

    An honest assessment, not a sales pitch

    Quantum now sits in our consulting work as an add-on: an honest assessment of whether quantum, quantum-inspired or plain classical methods fit a problem, and where post-quantum cryptography planning should start.

    Documented

    Consulting and the Lab’s position

Where the line is

Quantum attracts large claims. These are ours, and the ones we do not make.

What we do

  • Study the field and say plainly where the hardware is.
  • Frame hard optimisation problems in quantum-ready form.
  • Solve them today with classical and quantum-inspired methods.
  • Benchmark every result against a strong classical baseline.
  • Advise on readiness, including post-quantum cryptography planning.

What we do not claim

  • A quantum computer of our own.
  • A quantum solution deployed for a client.
  • A measured quantum advantage.
  • A proprietary quantum algorithm.

Readiness, in four questions

What we write in the margin before anyone says “quantum”. If the answers are thin, the right next step is usually classical.

  • Which decision is genuinely hard?

    Routing, scheduling and allocation can explode combinatorially. Many other problems only look hard because the data is scattered.

  • What does today’s best method achieve?

    Without a classical baseline there is nothing to beat, and no way to tell a quantum result from a better spreadsheet.

  • Can the problem be written down precisely?

    Objectives and constraints have to be explicit before any formulation, quantum or not, can help.

  • What must stay secret for years?

    Data that needs long-term confidentiality is exposed to harvest-now, decrypt-later. That is a planning question for today.

Keep exploring