Accelerating the Commercialization of Quantum Computing: Global Market Trends in 2025 and Strategic Opportunities for Korea

As of November 2025, the quantum computing industry is experiencing rapid changes at the critical juncture between technological breakthroughs and commercial viability. The global quantum computing market size is projected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $1.7 billion in 2025, representing an approximate 31% increase, and is expected to reach $12.5 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate of 32.1%. This growth indicates that quantum computing is beginning to be applied to solve real business problems beyond mere technological advancement. The practical value of quantum algorithms, particularly in the fields of financial services, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and cybersecurity, is being demonstrated, strengthening companies’ investment intentions.

IBM, headquartered in Armonk, New York, continues to play a leading role in the race for the commercialization of quantum computing. IBM’s latest quantum processor, ‘Condor,’ boasts 1,121 qubits, more than doubling the number of qubits compared to 2024. More importantly, there has been a groundbreaking improvement in quantum error correction technology. IBM successfully reduced the quantum error rate to below 0.1% by the third quarter of 2025, which is considered a significant milestone for practical quantum computing applications. IBM’s quantum cloud service is currently utilized by over 200 companies and research institutions worldwide, with monthly quantum task executions exceeding one million.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company headquartered in Mountain View, California, has introduced a new turning point in the quantum supremacy debate with its ‘Willow’ chip. Although Google’s Willow chip is equipped with 105 qubits, it has achieved innovative results in quantum error correction. Notably, it successfully implemented ‘surface code,’ where the error rate decreases as the number of qubits increases, demonstrating the potential for building scalable quantum computers. This achievement was published in the journal Nature and garnered academic attention, with Google announcing plans to offer commercial quantum computing services based on the Willow chip starting in the second half of 2025. Google’s quantum AI service is currently priced between $1,200 and $3,500 per hour based on monthly usage fees.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is pursuing a neutral platform strategy through its Braket platform, providing access to various quantum computing hardware. AWS Braket operates a cloud service integrating hardware from various quantum computing providers, including IBM, Rigetti, and IonQ, with monthly active users exceeding 15,000 as of 2025. AWS is particularly focused on hybrid solutions combining quantum computing and high-performance computing (HPC), offering services that gradually transition optimization problems, difficult to solve with current classical computers, to quantum algorithms.

Intensifying Quantum Computing Competition in the Asia-Pacific Region

China is achieving rapid advancements in the field of quantum computing through large-scale national investments. The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) announced that its optical quantum computer ‘Jiuzhang’ achieved performance 10^24 times faster than supercomputers in Gaussian boson sampling problems. Chinese quantum computing startups are also gaining attention, with Beijing-based Origin Quantum raising $200 million in Series C funding in the first half of 2025, valuing the company at $1.5 billion. The Chinese government announced plans to invest a total of $15 billion in the quantum technology sector from 2021 to 2030, with 40% focused on quantum computing research and development.

Japan is concentrating on quantum computing research centered around the University of Tokyo and RIKEN, particularly showcasing a unique approach in superconducting qubit technology. The Japanese government invested $800 million in the quantum moonshot program in 2025, a 60% increase from the previous year. Tokyo-based SoftBank is expanding its investments in quantum computing startups, investing $50 million in PsiQuantum in the U.S. and $30 million in Xanadu in Canada in 2025. Additionally, Japan’s NTT is focusing on developing its own optical quantum computing technology and announced plans to launch commercial services by the end of 2025.

Korea is building a quantum computing ecosystem through the government-led ‘K-Quantum Initiative.’ The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed a 2025 budget for quantum computing-related projects at 420 billion won, an 85% increase from the previous year, with 250 billion won allocated for quantum computer hardware development. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) established the country’s first 20-qubit quantum computer in collaboration with IBM and plans to upgrade to a 100-qubit system by 2026. Samsung Electronics is focusing on developing semiconductor manufacturing technology for quantum computing, particularly developing proprietary technology in the field of cryogenic electronic circuits for qubit control. LG Electronics is participating in the development of a quantum computing software platform and announced plans to offer quantum algorithm optimization services starting in the second half of 2025.

The European Union is investing 1 billion euros over ten years through the ‘Quantum Flagship’ program, with a mid-term evaluation in 2025 indicating faster-than-expected progress. Germany’s IQM, headquartered in Espoo, Finland, has grown into Europe’s largest quantum computing hardware manufacturer. IQM raised 120 million euros in Series B funding in 2025 and is currently mass-producing 20-qubit quantum processors. France’s Pasqal specializes in neutral atom-based quantum computing technology and announced successful commercialization of a 100-qubit system in the third quarter of 2025.

Industry-Specific Quantum Computing Applications and Market Outlook

The practical application of quantum computing in the financial services sector is accelerating. JP Morgan Chase, headquartered in New York, announced that a pilot project applying quantum algorithms to portfolio optimization and risk analysis achieved a 70% reduction in processing time compared to traditional methods. Quantum computing’s superiority was particularly evident in derivative pricing using Monte Carlo simulations. Deutsche Bank, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, is collaborating with IBM on a project to apply quantum computing to credit risk modeling, aiming to introduce commercial services in the first half of 2026. Goldman Sachs expanded its dedicated quantum computing team to 40 members and is investing $50 million annually in quantum computing research and development.

The potential of quantum computing in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors is becoming a reality. Roche, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is conducting research applying quantum computing to molecular simulations and drug development, reporting a calculation speed 1,000 times faster than existing supercomputers in specific protein folding problems. Biogen in the U.S. is collaborating with Google’s quantum AI team to apply quantum machine learning in Alzheimer’s drug development, successfully identifying drug-target interactions previously undiscovered in initial results. AstraZeneca, headquartered in Cambridge, has decided to invest $20 million over three years in a compound library optimization project using quantum computing, expecting to reduce drug development time by 30%.

The practical value of quantum computing is also being demonstrated in logistics and supply chain optimization. DHL, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, achieved a 12% reduction in fuel costs and an 8% reduction in delivery times in a pilot test applying quantum algorithms to global delivery route optimization. Quantum computing’s superiority was particularly evident in complex route optimization problems involving thousands of delivery locations. Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, is applying quantum machine learning to warehouse automation and inventory management, reporting a 15% improvement in inventory prediction accuracy based on quantum algorithms compared to traditional methods in the third quarter of 2025 at Amazon Fulfillment Centers. FedEx is collaborating with quantum computing startup D-Wave to develop a real-time delivery optimization system, planning to introduce commercial services in the first half of 2026.

In the field of cybersecurity, the impact of quantum computing on existing encryption systems and the advancement of quantum encryption technology are both gaining attention. The widely used RSA-2048 encryption could potentially be decrypted by sufficiently powerful quantum computers, prompting global companies to expedite the adoption of ‘Post-Quantum Cryptography.’ The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced post-quantum cryptography standards in 2024, and major companies are accelerating adoption as of 2025. Microsoft is gradually applying post-quantum cryptography to its Azure cloud services, planning full implementation across all services by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, quantum key distribution (QKD) technology is also being commercialized, with China’s quantum communication network offering commercial services over a 2,000 km section between Beijing and Shanghai.

From an investment perspective, venture capital investment in the quantum computing sector is expected to increase by 45% year-on-year to $2.4 billion in 2025. Investments in quantum software and algorithm development companies are surging, diversifying investment patterns from hardware-centric to software and application services. PsiQuantum, headquartered in California, raised $450 million in Series D funding in 2025, valuing the company at $3.1 billion. Oxford Quantum Computing, headquartered in Oxford, UK, raised £38 million in Series A, focusing on the commercialization of neutral atom-based quantum computing technology. Xanadu, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, a leader in optical quantum computing, raised a total of $210 million through additional funding in 2025.

However, the quantum computing industry still faces significant technical challenges and commercial risks. Currently, quantum computers operate only in cryogenic environments (near -273°C), and the issue of error rates due to the instability of quantum states persists. The ‘Decoherence Time,’ the time during which quantum entanglement is maintained, is only in the microsecond range, posing significant constraints for performing complex calculations. Additionally, the lack of specialized algorithms and programming personnel for quantum computing is identified as a major obstacle to commercialization. According to IBM’s research, there are currently only about 25,000 quantum computing specialists worldwide, with at least 1 million quantum computing-related personnel needed by 2030.

In the second half of 2025, the quantum computing market is at a crucial turning point in finding a balance between technological maturity and commercial viability. With continued large-scale investments from major companies and policy support from governments, quantum computing is increasingly likely to establish itself as a practical solution complementing or replacing existing computing in specific fields. Particularly, Korea is expected to play a meaningful role in the quantum computing hardware ecosystem, leveraging its manufacturing competitiveness in the semiconductor and display sectors, with strategic investments through government and private sector collaboration being analyzed as key elements for securing future global competitiveness. The acceleration of quantum computing commercialization signifies a fundamental shift in the computing paradigm beyond mere technological innovation, and companies’ strategic preparations for this transition are expected to have a decisive impact on securing future competitive advantages.