C'mon, Microsoft, let's do the twist.

I didn't see this one coming.

¹

Microsoft recently unveiled its Quantum Ready program for the 2025 International Year of Quantum (IYQ). After reading the announcement, I thought it was the launch of a new consulting arm. But there are existing quantum consultancies out there, so why would I choose this new consulting service over one of these established alternatives? To write an article about it, I would need a unique twist.

I was not expecting the spectacular twist in the reply.

What is the Quantum Ready program?

Citing progress in quantum computing over the past 12 months, Microsoft is looking ahead to what the next 12 months might have in store and calling on business leaders to act now. Recognizing, however, that actions require information and tools, and that business leaders don’t necessarily have either, Quantum Ready is intended to provide both.

According to the Quantum Ready blog, in fact, the program is meant to help you:

1. Build practical, high-impact hybrid applications

2. Invest in strategic skilling and access to reliable quantum computers for experimentation

3. Embrace quantum-safety and focus on cryptographic agility

4. Prepare for scale such that your investments are future-proofed

That all screams “consulting” at me, so what’s so special about it? What am I missing?

Here comes the twist.

I don’t know if any attorneys worked on this response, but I have a general practice of not paraphrasing attorneys. Here’s Microsoft’s response verbatim; I only applied italics to indicate that it’s not my original content:

• This is not a consulting arm, but a *free* program to help customers be ready for quantum computing

• The program offers an online skilling platform that will evolve over time to address topics relevant to business leaders, from technology to organizational culture. This skilling platform is and will remain free

• We will also conduct workshops for selected customers and will scale over time through Microsoft Technology Centers – without cost for the customer

• For specific use cases where the customer might want to engage in a deeper form of partnership, we will offer multiple paths to do so, inclusive of a network of established quantum computing companies who are partnering with us

That’s significant, don’t you think?

Conclusion

Notwithstanding the opportunity “to engage in a deeper form of partnership,” the free services are not being offered by some startup. These are free services from Microsoft. If you think about how much Microsoft could be charging for these services, this ought to be worth an inquiry.

For more information and to join, check out Microsoft’s Quantum Ready program.

1. https://estroncio90.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/covers-a-chubby-checker.html