Quantum-safe networking is moving to the top of the agenda as enterprises embed artificial intelligence into core operations. The question comes down to whether organizations can modernize their data infrastructure quickly enough to protect current AI agents and future quantum workloads.

Designed to protect data against future quantum-enabled attacks, quantum-safe networking is fast becoming a priority for enterprises, including IBM Corp.’s own platform strategy. That at a time where AI is finding its way into core infrastructure, where governance, orchestration and sovereignty drive competitive advantage, according to Luq Niazi (pictured, right), global managing partner of industries at IBM.

“What’s clear is we are way beyond experimentation. Organizations are working [out] how to scale … in an agentic way,” he noted. “To do that you’ve got to be purposeful. You’ve gotta be purposeful about your architecture. You’ve gotta be purposeful about your governance. You’ve gotta be purposeful about the workflow and valuables that you’re going after. I think what we’re starting to see [is] those who are getting that clarity … They’re going to be creating the competitive advantage of the future. I predict that those folks will also be the folks who are starting to think about, ‘How do I get quantum ready at the right time as well?'”

Niazi and Gustavo Carvalho Domingos (left), director of customer operation and technology at Telefónica S.A., spoke with theCUBE’s Dave Vellante at MWC Barcelona, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how scaling AI agents — and preparing for quantum-safe networking — is reshaping enterprise data infrastructure and governance. (* Disclosure below.)

Quantum-safe networking becomes an inflection point

The real test of AI maturity may already be happening in live networks. Telecommunications operators are deploying AI agents onto their operational data infrastructure, but with human oversight still in place, according to Domingos. Telefónica, the Spain-based global telecommunications operator, works with IBM on AI and quantum-safe technology initiatives as part of its broader network modernization strategy. The goal is measurable productivity gains without a compromise to service integrity.

“We have the operation agent already working with our technicians,” Domingos noted. “We already have … [the] knowledge database developed that helps … make the troubleshooting that we need before implementing any solution to recover the service.”

That human-in-the-loop phase reflects a broader pattern across industries. Structured sectors with mature governance models are better positioned to scale AI safely, particularly where financial or operational data infrastructure is tightly regulated. And the next competitive edge will belong to enterprises that pair AI scale with architectural foresight, Domingos explained.

“In the future, agent AI is not going to be outside of the equipment. It’s going to be embedded in the equipment,” he said. “The quantum is going to be … our gold asset. If you don’t protect this data now, in the future, we’re going to have many risks.”

That future-conscious thinking informs how many enterprises deploy AI today. It’s clear that competitive advantage will hinge less on who deploys AI first and more on who engineers for what comes next, Niazi emphasized.

“Real value, real competitive advantage will come from those organizations that engineer their governance, their orchestration, their model strategy,” he said. “I think next level of competitive advantage [goes to enterprises] who are thinking ahead about what’s going to come with quantum and starting to move their architectural thinking toward that.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of MWC Barcelona:

(* Disclosure: IBM sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither IBM nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE