The Dawn of the Quantum Computing Era: Analysis of Commercialization Competition and Investment Trends by 2026
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The quantum computing industry is reaching a turning point in 2026, moving out of the laboratory to create value in real business environments. IBM, based in New York, reported a 340% year-over-year increase in quantum computing service revenue to $280 million in its fourth-quarter earnings announced last January, showcasing that quantum computing is no longer a future technology but a current revenue-generating business sector. Alphabet, the parent company of Google headquartered in Mountain View, California, also announced that its cloud service revenue using its quantum computing processor ‘Willow’ surpassed $150 million, demonstrating the completion of calculations in five minutes that would take billions of years on traditional supercomputers. Global market research firm Gartner predicts that the global quantum computing market size will reach $2.4 billion in 2026, a 60% increase from $1.5 billion in 2025.
The core of quantum computing technology lies in its use of qubits, which can simultaneously represent 0 and 1 by leveraging the phenomena of superposition and entanglement in quantum mechanics, unlike traditional computers that process information in bits of 0 and 1. Theoretically, n qubits can process 2^n states simultaneously, allowing 300 qubits to perform more calculations in parallel than the number of atoms in the universe. IBM’s latest quantum computer ‘Condor’ boasts 1,121 qubits and is evaluated to have achieved practical computational accuracy with advancements in error correction technology. Google’s Willow processor, composed of 105 qubits, is recognized for its technical superiority by implementing an innovative error correction algorithm that reduces the logical error rate by half compared to previous rates.
The financial services sector is witnessing the fastest practical application of quantum computing. Goldman Sachs, the largest investment bank in the U.S., has partnered with IBM to introduce quantum computing in portfolio optimization and risk analysis, reducing computation time by 95% compared to traditional Monte Carlo simulations while improving accuracy by 15%. JP Morgan Chase has also established its own quantum computing research lab to optimize high-frequency trading algorithms, reporting an additional $320 million in revenue from quantum computing-based trading in the first quarter of 2026 alone. In South Korea, Shinhan Financial Group is collaborating with IBM to pilot quantum computing in credit rating model development, achieving a 12% improvement in predictive accuracy compared to existing models.
Quantum Computing Innovations in the Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries
Quantum computing’s innovations in drug development and molecular design are particularly noteworthy. Roche, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, in collaboration with Google, simulated the molecular structure of an Alzheimer’s drug candidate using quantum computing, completing calculations in three days that would take six months on traditional supercomputers. This improvement in calculation speed suggests the potential to shorten drug development periods from the current 10-15 years to 7-10 years and reduce development costs by 30% from an average of $2.6 billion to $1.8 billion. Bayer in Germany is using Microsoft’s Azure Quantum cloud service to optimize the molecular structure of pesticides, reporting success in developing new compounds that are both environmentally friendly and effective.
The practical value of quantum computing is also being demonstrated in the optimization of chemical processes. DuPont in the U.S. has collaborated with IBM to simulate catalytic reaction pathways using quantum computing, developing a new process that achieves 20% higher yields and 35% lower energy consumption compared to existing methods. This is expected to result in annual cost savings of $150 million, according to the company. LG Chem in South Korea has also introduced quantum computing in battery material development, discovering a new cathode composition that enhances the energy density of lithium-ion batteries by 15%, strengthening its competitiveness in the electric vehicle battery market.
Innovative impacts of quantum computing are also emerging in logistics and supply chain optimization. Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, U.S., is utilizing D-Wave Systems’ quantum annealing computer to optimize its delivery network, reporting a 12% reduction in fuel costs and an 8% average reduction in delivery times through route optimization. This translates to approximately $700 million in annual cost savings. Volkswagen in Germany is applying quantum computing to traffic flow optimization projects, conducting pilot operations in Beijing and Lisbon, achieving a 25% reduction in traffic congestion and an 18% decrease in emissions of air pollutants.
Global Competitive Landscape and Investment Trends
The U.S. and China are leading the competition in quantum computing technology development, with Europe, Japan, and South Korea in pursuit. The U.S. pledged $1.2 billion in government investment over five years through the Quantum Computing Initiative Act of 2022, with approximately $800 million executed by 2026. The Chinese government has been investing $1.5 billion annually in the National Research Institute of Quantum Information Science since 2021, with Beijing’s Origin Quantum demonstrating technological achievements by announcing the 72-qubit quantum computer ‘Zuchongzhi’ in 2025. The Japanese government announced a $5 billion investment plan over ten years through the Quantum Moonfire Project in 2023, with the cold atom quantum computer jointly developed by the University of Tokyo and RIKEN gaining attention.
The South Korean government announced a 1 trillion won investment over the next decade through the K-Quantum Computing Initiative in 2024, with 200 billion won executed by 2026. Samsung Electronics is focusing on developing superconducting qubit manufacturing technology for quantum computing, announcing the successful development of a 20-qubit quantum processor prototype in 2025. SK Hynix is investing in ultra-low temperature memory solutions for quantum computing systems, commercializing the world’s first cryogenic DRAM operating at an absolute temperature of 10mK. Among domestic startups, Standard Energy has partnered with IBM to develop quantum computing-based energy optimization solutions, raising 15 billion won in a Series A round in 2025.
In terms of private investment trends, the global quantum computing startup investment scale in 2025 reached $3.2 billion, a 78% increase from $1.8 billion in 2024. Investments in the quantum software sector are particularly surging, with Cambridge Quantum Computing, based in Cambridge, UK, raising $210 million in a Series C round in December 2025, achieving a company valuation of $1.2 billion. D-Wave Systems in Vancouver, Canada, raised $450 million through a NASDAQ listing in January 2026, with its stock price rising 35% on the first day, indicating high investor interest. Pasqal in Paris, France, is focusing on neutral atom quantum computer development with support from the EU’s Quantum Technology Flagship program, achieving commercialization of a 100-qubit system in 2025.
Despite the commercialization process of quantum computing technology, challenges remain. The most significant technical barrier is quantum error correction, with a considerable time expected to achieve full logical qubit implementation from the current NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) era. IBM researchers analyzed that practical quantum error correction requires a ratio of one logical qubit per 1,000 physical qubits, which is expected to be achievable around 2028-2030 with current technology. Additionally, the high cost and energy consumption of cryogenic cooling systems required for operating quantum computing systems are obstacles to commercialization. It is estimated that operating a 1,000-qubit quantum computer incurs an annual cooling cost of approximately $2 million.
The shortage of talent is also identified as a major constraint on the development of the quantum computing industry. According to a 2025 report by McKinsey Consulting, there are only about 25,000 quantum computing specialists worldwide, but the required workforce is expected to reach 200,000 by 2030. Consequently, major companies are competing to secure talent, with the average annual salary of a Ph.D.-level quantum computing researcher exceeding $250,000 in the U.S., indicating a continued rise in labor costs. In South Korea, KAIST and Seoul National University are establishing quantum information departments to cultivate specialized talent, while Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are operating special programs to attract outstanding overseas talent.
The future outlook for the quantum computing industry is very positive. Boston Consulting Group predicts that the global quantum computing market size will reach $85 billion by 2035, with hardware accounting for $28 billion, software for $32 billion, and services for $25 billion. The quantum computing cloud service market is expected to grow rapidly, with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud engaged in fierce competition. The domestic market is also projected to grow at an average annual rate of 45% to reach 3 trillion won by 2030, according to the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information. This growth trend suggests that quantum computing will establish itself as a core technology driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution alongside artificial intelligence and blockchain.
