[torbjorn]

Breaking crypto makes for a good headline but the most important application of QCs will be simulating quantum states, eg modeling molecular interactions. And obviously there is plenty of work that remains to be done in this nascent field.

Also obligatory link to the best quantum computing blog out there: https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/. Very good at dispelling hype.

[DenisM]

Adding to that: I heard that in modern chemistry there are trillions of experiments to be run and not enough time to run them all. Using QC to cull the search space can lead to discovery of some very interesting compounds. This could be “the industrial revolution” of the field.