TCS looks to quantum computing to solve complex ‘what if’ problems

Harrick Vin, Chief Technology Officer, TCS | Photo Credit: Reuters

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is exploring quantum computing to solve complex problems ranging from personalised cancer treatments and financial portfolio optimisation to molecule discovery and severe-weather prediction, as conventional computing architectures struggle to address such challenges at scale.

Speaking at IBM’s Think 2026 event in Mumbai, TCS Chief Technology Officer Harrick Vin said the company’s interest stemmed from the technology’s potential to tackle problems involving an enormous number of possible outcomes and decisions.

Mr. Vin outlined four layers of reasoning intelligence: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive. While conventional computing is relatively effective at understanding what is happening, why it is happening and, to some extent, what might happen next, more complex predictive and prescriptive problems require evaluating numerous possibilities.

“Solving sort of more complex predictive and prescriptive problems requires you to solve a lot of what if and if what problems,” he said.

While “what if” explores the possible consequences of an action, “if what” works backwards from a desired outcome to determine the action required to achieve it.