A New Turning Point in the Quantum Computing Industry: The Race for Commercialization and Technological Breakthroughs by 2025
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As of December 2025, the quantum computing industry has moved beyond theoretical research stages and entered a practical commercialization trajectory, impacting the broader technology sector. The global quantum computing market is projected to grow by 50%, from $1.8 billion in 2024 to $2.7 billion by the end of 2025, with a significant increase in practical applications in the financial services and pharmaceutical industries. This growth signifies a shift from mere technological curiosity to the creation of actual business value.
The key technological breakthrough in quantum computing is emerging in the field of error correction. IBM, headquartered in New York, announced in November 2025 that it successfully reduced the logical error rate of its 1,000-qubit ‘Condor’ processor to 10^-6. This represents a 1,000-fold improvement over the previous physical qubit error rate of 10^-3, surpassing the critical point for executing practical quantum algorithms. IBM’s quantum network currently includes over 200 institutions worldwide, with daily quantum circuit executions exceeding one million.
Google’s quantum AI team in Mountain View, California, is targeting the market with a different approach. Google’s ‘Willow’ chip, based on superconducting qubit technology, demonstrated quantum supremacy by completing a calculation in 105 seconds that would take the fastest supercomputer 10^25 years. Notably, Google began offering access to a 1,000-qubit system through its ‘Google Quantum Cloud’ service for a monthly subscription fee of $500,000 starting in the second half of 2025. Currently, 12 global companies, including JP Morgan Chase, Roche, and BMW, are participating in the pilot program.
Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, is attempting to differentiate itself with unique topological qubit technology. As of the third quarter of 2025, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum platform surpassed 15,000 monthly active users and recorded annual revenues of $300 million, focusing on quantum simulation and optimization solutions. By integrating with existing cloud infrastructure, Microsoft is lowering entry barriers for corporate clients, providing a hybrid computing environment. The company’s quantum development kit is currently used by over 250,000 developers in 80 countries.
The Rise of the Asian Market and Strategic Responses of Korean Companies
In Asia, China is rapidly catching up in the quantum computing field through large-scale national investments. The ‘Jiuzhang’ quantum computer at the University of Science and Technology of China achieved a computation speed 10^24 times faster than existing supercomputers for specific sampling problems using 144 photonic qubits as of the first half of 2025. The Chinese government announced plans to invest a total of $15 billion in quantum technology from 2025 to 2030, with 40% focused on developing quantum computing hardware.
In Korea, Samsung Electronics is playing a key role in the quantum computing ecosystem. Starting in the second quarter of 2025, Samsung commercialized cryogenic semiconductor manufacturing technology for quantum processors and is supplying key components to major quantum computing companies like IBM and Google. Samsung’s quantum control chip, utilizing 5-nanometer process technology, reduces power consumption by 30% while improving signal accuracy by 25% compared to previous versions. Samsung Electronics’ quantum computing-related revenue is expected to reach $1.2 billion in 2025, representing a 180% growth from the previous year.
SK Hynix is seizing new opportunities in the memory systems sector of quantum computing. The company is investing $500 million annually in developing ultra-fast memory to maintain quantum states and special memory for quantum-classical hybrid systems, and began mass production of quantum computer-specific memory modules in the second half of 2025. These products support data transfer speeds 100 times faster than existing DDR5 and ensure stable operation in cryogenic environments. SK Hynix’s quantum memory division has set a revenue target of $800 million for 2025.
In Japan, Tokyo-based SoftBank is actively investing in quantum computing. The SoftBank Vision Fund invested a total of $1.5 billion in quantum computing startups in the first half of 2025, particularly expanding its stakes in Canada’s D-Wave Systems and the US’s Rigetti Computing. Additionally, NTT announced a $3 billion investment over five years to build its own quantum communication network and plans to complete a quantum encryption communication network between Tokyo and Osaka by the end of 2025.
The Spread of Practical Applications and Business Model Innovation
The practical application of quantum computing in the financial services sector is accelerating. JP Morgan Chase began fully utilizing IBM’s quantum systems for portfolio optimization and risk analysis from the third quarter of 2025, reducing calculation times by 90% compared to traditional Monte Carlo simulation methods while improving accuracy by 15%. This is estimated to result in annual operational cost savings of $200 million. Goldman Sachs is also developing a high-frequency trading system using quantum algorithms, aiming for commercialization by 2026.
The pharmaceutical industry’s use of quantum computing is also showing notable results. Roche in Basel, Switzerland, announced that it reduced molecular simulation time in the drug development process from six months to two weeks using Google’s quantum system. In particular, it achieved a 1,000-fold faster computation speed than existing supercomputers in predicting protein folding for Alzheimer’s treatment candidates. This innovation has increased the success rate of entering clinical trials in Roche’s drug development pipeline from 12% to 28%.
In the logistics and supply chain optimization sector, the practical value of quantum computing is being demonstrated. BMW in Munich, Germany, optimized production scheduling across 31 global plants using Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, resulting in an 18% reduction in inventory costs and an improvement in on-time delivery rates from 95% to 99.2%. This translates to an annual cost-saving effect of approximately 400 million euros. Amazon is also utilizing its own quantum computing service, ‘Braket,’ for delivery route optimization, reporting a 22% improvement in last-mile delivery efficiency.
In the energy sector, optimizing renewable energy grids using quantum computing is emerging as a new trend. Ørsted in Copenhagen, Denmark, optimized turbine placement in offshore wind farms using IBM’s quantum system, resulting in a 12% increase in power generation efficiency. This was achieved by analyzing complex airflow patterns and turbine interactions with quantum algorithms, which are difficult to calculate using traditional simulation methods. Ørsted plans to apply this technology to an additional 20 offshore wind projects by 2026.
The business model for quantum computing services is also diversifying. In addition to the traditional cloud access model, the ‘Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS)’ model is spreading. D-Wave Systems in Burnaby, Canada, launched a service offering unlimited access to its quantum annealing system for an annual subscription fee of $1 million, currently used by 80 companies. Additionally, quantum software companies are rapidly growing, with Cambridge Quantum Computing in Cambridge, UK, recording annual sales of $50 million with its quantum algorithm library and development tools.
However, several challenges are emerging alongside the growth of the quantum computing industry. The most significant issue is the shortage of talent, with global demand for quantum computing experts exceeding supply by more than three times. As a result, salaries for related experts are skyrocketing, with the average salary for senior quantum engineers reaching $350,000 in Silicon Valley. Additionally, the high operating costs of cryogenic cooling systems required for operating quantum computers are becoming a barrier to commercialization. For IBM’s large quantum systems, annual cooling costs alone amount to $500,000.
From a security perspective, quantum computing exhibits a double-edged sword characteristic. Concerns are rising that powerful quantum algorithms could render existing RSA encryption ineffective, making the development of quantum-resistant encryption technology an urgent task. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) began gradually introducing quantum-resistant encryption standards from the second half of 2025, with the related security solution market expected to grow to $1.5 billion annually.
Looking ahead, the quantum computing industry is expected to enter a full-scale commercialization phase from the end of 2025. Market research firm Gartner predicts that the global quantum computing market will reach $65 billion by 2030, with hardware accounting for 40% and software and services each accounting for 30%. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to have the highest growth rate, with an annual average of 45%, and companies in Korea and Japan are expected to play key roles in the global supply chain. From an investment perspective, the valuation of quantum computing-related companies is expected to continue rising, with investor interest focusing on companies with practical application cases.
This analysis is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice or a recommendation of specific stocks. All investment decisions should be made at the discretion and responsibility of individual investors.
