Accelerating the Commercialization of Quantum Computing: Analysis of Technological Innovation and Market Competition in 2025
Editor
As of December 2025, the quantum computing industry is at a turning point from experimental labs to commercial applications. The global quantum computing market size is projected to grow from $1.7 billion in 2024 to $2.4 billion in 2025, marking a 41% increase, and is expected to reach $12.5 billion by 2030 with an average annual growth rate of 32%. This rapid growth is driven by the launch of commercial services by major tech companies and large-scale government investments. Notably, IBM’s New York headquarters has initiated the commercialization of cloud services using the 1,000-qubit quantum processor ‘Condor’ since the second half of this year, causing significant market shifts.
The core of quantum computing technology lies in its ability to perform exponentially faster calculations by using quantum bits (qubits) that can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously, unlike traditional computers that process information as 0 or 1. Theoretically, just 300 qubits can process more information than the number of atoms in the universe. Currently, commercial quantum computers range from 50 to 1,000 qubits, demonstrating performance thousands of times faster than traditional supercomputers for specific problems. Google’s Mountain View, California headquarters announced a breakthrough in quantum error correction with the ‘Willow’ chip by the end of 2024, bringing practical quantum computer implementation one step closer.
The most noteworthy aspect of the market competition landscape is the diverse technological approaches taken by each company. IBM is focusing on superconducting qubit technology and building quantum networks, while Google is concentrating on achieving Quantum Supremacy alongside superconducting technology. Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington headquarters is uniquely developing next-generation topological qubits and providing integrated services for accessing various quantum hardware through the Azure Quantum cloud platform. Each of these approaches has its own strengths and weaknesses, leaving the future standard technology still uncertain.
Global Investment Trends and Government Policies
Global investment in quantum computing has significantly increased in 2025. The U.S. government invested $2.5 billion through the National Quantum Initiative in 2025, a 67% increase from the previous year. The Chinese government is also actively engaging in the quantum technology supremacy race by establishing a $15 billion National Quantum Laboratory in Beijing. The European Union is investing €1 billion through the ‘Quantum Flagship’ program, focusing particularly on quantum communication and encryption technology development.
Korea’s investment in quantum technology is also noteworthy. The Korean government announced a five-year investment of 2 trillion won through the ‘K-Quantum Initiative’ in 2025, with 400 billion won to be executed this year. Samsung Electronics, headquartered in Suwon, established a quantum computing research lab earlier this year and announced a 1 trillion won investment over the next five years. Samsung is leveraging its semiconductor manufacturing technology to produce quantum processor chips and is reportedly supplying prototypes to IBM and Google. SK Hynix, headquartered in Icheon, is also investing 50 billion won annually in developing quantum memory technology, participating in building the quantum ecosystem.
In terms of venture capital trends, global investment in quantum computing startups reached $1.8 billion by the third quarter of 2025, an 89% increase from the same period last year. Quantum software and algorithm development companies are particularly attracting major investments. Rigetti Computing in Berkeley, California, raised $200 million in Series C funding this year, and IonQ in Boston, Massachusetts, surpassed a market capitalization of $1.5 billion after its NASDAQ listing. This increase in investment indicates that quantum computing is being recognized as a commercially viable technology rather than just a research topic.
Looking at market growth rates by major application sectors, the financial services sector is experiencing the highest growth. Major investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are adopting quantum algorithms for portfolio optimization and risk management, leading to a 156% growth in the financial quantum computing market to $300 million in 2025. In the pharmaceutical sector, the use of quantum computing for drug development and molecular simulation is increasing, with the market size growing by 108% to $210 million. The logistics optimization sector grew by 76% to $180 million, with active adoption by global logistics companies like Amazon and FedEx.
Technical Challenges and Commercialization Barriers
Significant technical barriers still exist in the commercialization of quantum computing. The biggest challenge is maintaining quantum coherence. Current quantum computers operate only in extremely low-temperature environments of 0.01K (-273.14°C), and even slight external vibrations or electromagnetic waves can disrupt the quantum state. Although IBM’s latest quantum computer has achieved 99.9% accuracy, error rates remain high in complex calculations. Correcting these errors requires thousands of physical qubits to form a single logical qubit, which is highly inefficient with current technology.
There is also a substantial cost burden in terms of operational expenses. Building a commercial quantum computer currently costs between $10 million and $100 million, with annual operating costs exceeding $5 million. This is mainly due to cryogenic cooling systems and precise control equipment, with liquid helium cooling systems alone costing hundreds of dollars per hour. As a result, commercialization is currently only feasible in the form of cloud-based services. IBM Quantum Network offers pricing starting at $1.60 per hour, while Google Cloud’s quantum computing service charges $0.0002 per qubit per hour.
The shortage of software and skilled personnel is also a serious issue. Developing quantum algorithms requires a high level of expertise in both quantum mechanics and computer science, with an estimated global workforce of only about 5,000 individuals. According to a McKinsey report, approximately 20,000 specialized personnel will be needed in the quantum computing field by 2030, but the current education system is insufficient to meet this demand. In response, IBM is expanding quantum programming education through the ‘Qiskit’ open-source platform, and Microsoft is working to build a developer ecosystem by providing the ‘Q#’ language and development tools.
The lack of standardization also hinders industry development. Current quantum computers use different hardware architectures and programming interfaces, making it difficult to apply algorithms developed on one platform to another. Although international standardization organizations like IEEE and ISO are working on establishing quantum computing standards, rapid technological advancements are outpacing standardization efforts. This delay in standardization is one of the main factors causing companies to hesitate in adopting quantum computing.
From a security perspective, quantum computing presents a double-edged sword. It can easily decrypt current RSA encryption, posing a threat to existing security systems. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced quantum-resistant encryption standards in 2024, but it is expected to take years to apply them globally. On the other hand, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology can theoretically provide perfect security, leading to its adoption by governments and financial institutions. China has already established a 2,000 km quantum communication network between Beijing and Shanghai, and Korea is set to launch a pilot quantum communication service between Seoul and Busan in 2025.
In the second half of 2025, several important changes have emerged in the quantum computing industry. First, the hybrid quantum-classical computing model is gaining attention. This approach uses quantum computers only for specific calculations, with the rest handled by traditional computers, and is considered the most practical approach given the current technology level. Second, the cloudification of quantum computing services is accelerating. Amazon Web Services provides a platform to access various quantum hardware through its ‘Braket’ service, reporting a 340% increase in usage compared to the previous year. Third, quantum technologies beyond computing, such as quantum sensors and quantum communication, are rapidly commercializing, contributing to the growth of the entire quantum ecosystem.
Looking ahead, practical advantages of quantum computers in specific fields are expected to become clear around 2026. In particular, optimization problems, machine learning, and chemical simulations are anticipated to solve issues that were impossible with traditional computers. Market research firm IDC predicts that by 2030, 25% of global companies will utilize quantum computing technology in some form. This change is expected to bring not only improvements in computing performance but also new business models and industrial structure changes, with companies and countries leading in quantum computing technology gaining a decisive competitive edge in the future.
*This analysis is based on publicly available market data and industry reports, and additional due diligence and expert consultation are recommended for investment decisions.*
