Emerging Risks to Watch: Quantum Computing, Data Center Buildout, and Peptides
Emerging risks rarely arrive fully formed. They evolve at the edges of innovation, where opportunity and uncertainty intersect. Advances in areas like quantum computing, AI infrastructure, and treatment therapy are reshaping industries with remarkable speed, but they are also introducing new and often underappreciated exposures.
For insurers, the challenge is not simply to track these developments but to understand how they may translate into real-world risks across operations, liability, and systemic disruption.
A Coming Quantum Leap?
While much of the world appears focused on AI, another potentially revolutionary technological innovation is hovering just over the horizon: quantum computing.
Unlike traditional or “classical” computers, which encode information into bits that are either in one of two positions (on/off, or 1/0), quantum computers encode information into quantum bits, or “qubits,” which can exist in a superposition of multiple positions. Qubits can encode more information than classical bits and may be able to perform computations that classical computers either can’t or would take impractical time to complete.
Although we presently do not have quantum computers that can perform the full range of the technology’s anticipated capabilities, there is an active–albeit nascent–quantum computing industry that generated an estimated $1.45 billion in revenue in 2024 and is projected to grow to $2.2 billion by 2027.
The industry remains relatively novel, but several large facilities are being constructed to house new quantum computers. While we may be years away from a robust quantum computer, potential P/C exposures may arise in connection with today’s quantum computing industry. These may range from commercial inland marine risks associated with the transportation of high-value quantum computing equipment to potential litigation risks related to the statements and disclosures made by directors and officers in the quantum computing supply chain.
Even farther beyond the horizon lies a more remote but potentially significant risk: the development of a cryptographically relevant quantum computer capable of breaking public key encryption, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data–a phenomenon more colloquially known as Q-Day.
Estimates for such an event vary widely, ranging from as early as 2029 to perhaps never. Still, if such a quantum breakthrough were to occur, it could potentially have consequences that extend across technological supply chains, impacting a wide variety of businesses and industries.
But even if Q-Day turns out to be many years away, companies (particularly those stewarding highly sensitive data) may face increasing regulatory, operational, and risk management considerations related to the transition to newly standardized “post-quantum” algorithms. As some legal scholars have noted, encryption and cybersecurity decisions may become a potential source of liability for companies facing negligence lawsuits following a data breach.
A Data Center Boom … or Bust?
Present-day quantum computing services increasingly rely on the physical and computational infrastructure of modern data centers. And while many of these technological advances remain under development, the push to support the AI economy has already driven a surge in hyperscale data center investment and construction. According to one industry tracker, total spending on data center construction starts reached $46.5 billion through Q1 this year, compared to $7.3 billion at the same point in 2025.
Despite this building pace, trends toward larger, more energy-intensive data centers have encountered several challenges. Nearly half of all data center projects poised to start construction this year are experiencing delays or cancellation due to factors such as supply chain shortages, permitting holdups, and power grid interconnection backlogs. Public opposition to AI data centers being built in their communities can also contribute to potential project cancellations or delays. A survey released in May showed that 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local communities, and 25 planned data center projects were canceled last year.
Supply chains and public opinion aside, hyperscale data center projects may also be impacted by a shortage of skilled labor and expertise required for these increasingly technical builds. An industry analysis noted that 58% of data center managers surveyed reported difficulties filling open positions. If data center projects of this scope, cost, and complexity encounter delays, it may increase the likelihood of contractual or commercial disputes. Even stakeholders in projects that aren’t beset by delays may face claims aimed at entities and their directors and officers.
The Rise of Peptides
Peptides have burst into the public’s consciousness, driven in part by popular weight-loss drugs such as GLP-1–where the “p” stands for peptide–and through health and fitness media and influencers, who sometimes promote peptides that promise a range of potential health and cosmetic benefits. For insurers, there are potential liability concerns with these drugs.
Peptides have served as the basis of numerous pharmaceuticals, including insulin. There are almost 100 peptide-
based drugs approved globally, with others in various stages of pre-clinical and clinical trials.
A wide variety of non-prescription peptides have grown in prominence thanks to social media influencers peddling health, wellness, and cosmetic products. This class of peptides–which may not have FDA approval for the uses for which they’re marketed, or may be sold through consumer channels with varying degrees of regulatory oversight–could pose a variety of potentially serious adverse health reactions, including possible death.
Other serious concerns include the reported marketing of peptides as so-called “research chemicals,” which are peptide products labeled as unsafe for human consumption but nevertheless circulated through less-regulated networks of wellness clinics, compounding pharmacies, and telehealth operations.
These distribution channels and marketing practices may raise some liability considerations, including potential claims related to misleading or unsubstantiated health-related representations, in addition to potential bodily injury risks associated with possible impurities contained in these research peptides.
While each of these three risk trends is still evolving, their implications for the insurance industry are already coming into focus. By taking a proactive, disciplined approach to these risks, the insurance industry can position itself to respond more effectively and avoid being caught off guard as today’s breakthroughs become tomorrow’s loss events.
Shavel is president and chief executive officer of Verisk, a data analytics and technology partner to the global insurance industry. He brings nearly 30 years of experience advising and leading publicly traded companies to Verisk.