From Patent Positioning to Crypto: How UnitedHealth Group Is Using Quantum Computing

Highlights:

• UnitedHealth Group (UHG) Is exploring quantum computing through Optum Technology, UHG’s technology arm, in the areas of patents and defensive publishing. 
• The group is also exploring the quantum crypto space to prepare for switching from RSA encryption to quantum-safe algorithms. 
• It’s not a matter of if, but when, quantum becomes more affordable.

The traditional healthcare space is fairly conservative and cautious, but insurance giant UnitedHealth Group (UHG) has been exploring quantum computing for several years. 

Matt Versaggi, an engineer and senior director of artificial intelligence and cognitive technology at Optum Technology, the technology arm of UnitedHealth, says that UHG’s exploration into quantum computing is largely driven by a desire to develop and protect intellectual property in this space. 

In an episode of The Qubit Guy podcast, Matt discusses UHG’s research into quantum computing, the things he would do differently if he were starting over today, and the four types of individuals he thinks every quantum team needs.

How quantum helps push UHG forward 

The business justification for UHG’s exploration into quantum computing is the development of patents and defensive publications. 

“We are in that [patent] space and we’re being very aggressive about it,” says Matt. He adds that although UHG doesn’t plan to put quantum to the test on real hardware anytime soon, the company is focused on teaching. “We have educated our people on three continents — Ireland, India, and the U.S. —  in a way that will allow them to grow in this space and pursue patents within their individual domains.”

UHG is also working in the quantum cryptography space, “because the security folks need to know the kinds of things that they're up against when it comes to switching from RSA encryption to quantum-safe algorithms,” explains Matt.

Prioritizing employee education with Optum Tech University

UHG’s exploration into quantum was facilitated by its organization Optum Tech University, which helps educate UHG’s ~350,000 employees. 

“When you have a constituency that's large, you need a way to educate them at scale,” Matt says. More than 30 software engineers have gone through the quantum program in the last couple of years. UHG’s interest in offering robust education on the benefits of quantum computing is strategic, as it will promote the development of intellectual property leveraging this fledgling technology.

Additionally, Matt says that Optum Tech University is unusual because it has been designed to educate people on the consumer side of the quantum spectrum. “There’s hardly any materials out there, less than 1% (for consumer quantum),” he says. “Every time you pick up a book, whether it's ‘Dancing with Qubits’ or any others, they're going to be for the producer side,” Matt says. 

“So we had to grow that on our own. That was a significant investment in manpower.” 

External partnerships help accelerate the adoption of quantum

For external help to build a strong quantum computing foundation, UHG has partnered with groups like the Quantum Strategy Institute (QSI). 

“QSI is focusing on a unique space that is meant to accelerate the adoption of quantum,” says Matt. “They've got experience in the AI space to do that. They know how that works. And we've been embedded in that organization to help us understand how the larger enterprise and industry is adopting this, as well as the verticals within that.”

Matt believes organizations such as QSI can help business strategists and the C-suite understand the answers to questions such as: 

• When will the technology be ready to go?
• Where are the threat factors when it comes to security? 
• Where are the exploitive opportunities out there from a business standpoint that we can begin to plan for now?

How to create an ideal quantum team

Matt lists the following four key individuals who are necessary for a strong quantum team.

1) Technical people. You need people who have deep domain knowledge and passion along with quantum skills. “You're going to need that to be able to ferret out the kinds of problems that you could solve with quantum right now,” says Matt. “Because it's very limited.” 

2) Business people. Strong business voices can take the value of new technology and articulate it to the C-suite.

3) Evangelizers. You need people who are very good at spreading the gospel of quantum to different constituencies within the company.  

4) Educators. People who are good at teaching others difficult material and helping them to understand the business sense of quantum.

Taking a grass-roots approach to quantum implementation

Looking back, if Matt were to start all over with quantum implementation, he says that he would act more aggressively in getting people involved globally. 

“We started in the U.S. pretty well, and we moved over to Ireland and the U.K. and then into India. We’re looking to make this a global kind of a phenomenon. I would just do that a little bit earlier.”

Matt believes his team took the right strategy by exploring quantum at a grass-roots level.  “We weren't subject to the crushing return on investment vehicle that is endemic to the healthcare space when it comes to innovation.”

Matt also advises getting “more young people involved as they come into the program” and developing ways to involve senior leadership. “We are doing all of those things but I would just do them sooner.”

Getting to quantum ‘readiness’ 

Matt says that quantum is moving from being a one-time academic fancy to a strategic and highly visible investment. “You’re seeing political rhetoric in that space. You're seeing the players in the field move faster,” he says. 

However, he believes two main challenges remain for the quantum space. Quantum computing’s “dirty little secret” is the difficulty of getting to hold a subatomic particle long enough to do information processing on it at room temperature. The second challenge is taking a problem in the wild and mapping that to a quantum solution on a quantum circuit.  

“Right now it's very hard to solve problems with quantum, but it won't be forever,” Matt says. “You've got to get in there and move your organization to readiness now.”

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This article is based on an episode of The Qubit Guy podcast, which explores business and technical questions that impact the quantum computing ecosystem. Hosted by Classiq CMO Yuval Boger, the interview podcast features thought leaders in quantum computing.