The Dawn of the Quantum Computing Era: Companies Surviving the Commercialization Race by 2025
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The quantum computing industry is experiencing unprecedented growth in 2025, surpassing technological thresholds. According to market research firm Gartner, the global quantum computing market is expected to reach $10.2 billion this year, a 34% increase from the previous year. Notably, there is a surge in cases where quantum computing is being used to solve real business problems beyond the experimental stage. With its practical value proven in various fields such as financial risk analysis, drug development, and supply chain optimization, companies are making more proactive investment decisions.
IBM, headquartered in New York, is leading the way in the quantum computing field. IBM’s ‘Condor’ chip, announced in October this year, boasts 1,121 qubits, tripling the performance of previous models. IBM’s quantum network currently includes over 200 companies and research institutions worldwide, which can access IBM’s quantum computers via the cloud. IBM announced that its quantum computing-related revenue is expected to reach $1.5 billion this year, accounting for 2.5% of its total revenue. The company aims to achieve $10 billion in revenue from the quantum computing sector by 2030.
Google (Alphabet), based in Mountain View, California, is focused on demonstrating quantum supremacy with its ‘Willow’ chip. Although Google’s Willow chip has 70 qubits, it has shown outstanding performance in error correction. According to research results announced by Google in November, the Willow chip can perform calculations in 5 minutes that would take traditional supercomputers billions of years. Google is integrating quantum computing with the Google Cloud Platform to provide services to enterprise customers, with approximately 50 companies currently using Google’s quantum cloud services. The company projects quantum computing-related revenue to reach $800 million by 2025.
Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, is targeting the quantum computing cloud market with its ‘Braket’ service. Amazon Braket features an integrated platform offering systems from various quantum computing hardware manufacturers, including IBM, Rigetti, and IonQ. This year, Amazon established a quantum networking center in collaboration with Harvard University, announcing a $100 million investment over five years. The current average monthly usage fee for Amazon’s Braket service is around $2,500 per user, with the number of customers increasing by 180% compared to the previous year. The company predicts that quantum computing will be the next innovation driver for cloud computing.
Strategies of Korean Companies Entering the Quantum Computing Field
In Korea, Samsung Electronics is showing the most proactive approach to entering the quantum computing field. Headquartered in Suwon, Samsung Electronics established a dedicated quantum computing organization earlier this year and announced an investment of 3 trillion won over the next five years. Samsung’s strategy focuses on manufacturing semiconductors for quantum computing, leveraging its experience in the foundry business to build quantum processor production capabilities. Notably, Samsung has formed a strategic partnership with IBM to supply semiconductors for quantum computing, expecting new annual revenue of $500 million. Samsung is also strengthening its software capabilities by establishing a quantum algorithm research center in collaboration with KAIST and Seoul National University.
SK Telecom is focusing on the combination of communication networks and quantum computing. Headquartered in Seoul, SK Telecom launched a ‘Quantum Crypto Phone’ in June this year, commercializing quantum encryption technology. This service targets government agencies and large corporations, with a monthly usage fee of around 100,000 won. SK Telecom announced that approximately 500 companies are currently using its quantum encryption services and aims to expand the customer base to 5,000 by 2026. The company is also partnering with ID Quantique and Toshiba to build a quantum key distribution network, expecting annual revenue of 20 billion won.
Microsoft is participating in the quantum computing market with a unique approach. Headquartered in Redmond, Microsoft is focusing on topological qubit technology, which offers greater stability than conventional superconducting qubits. The company provides access to various quantum computing hardware through its ‘Azure Quantum’ platform, with about 30 partner companies currently participating. Microsoft’s quantum development kit, ‘Q#’, is used by over 100,000 developers worldwide, playing a crucial role in building the quantum software ecosystem. The company expects quantum computing-related revenue to reach $300 million this year.
Intel is approaching quantum computing from a hardware manufacturer perspective. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Intel has developed the ‘Horse Ridge’ quantum control chip to enhance the operational efficiency of quantum computers. Intel claims that the Horse Ridge chip operates at cryogenic temperatures of -273 degrees Celsius and can reduce power consumption by 50% compared to previous models. Intel is also partnering with Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands to develop ‘spin qubit’ technology, which is advantageous for mass production as it can utilize existing semiconductor manufacturing processes. The company aims to commercialize a quantum computer with one million qubits by 2030.
Practical Applications and Market Outlook of Quantum Computing
The use of quantum computing in the financial services sector is rapidly increasing. Goldman Sachs began using IBM’s quantum computer for portfolio optimization and risk analysis this year, reducing calculation time by 90% compared to traditional methods. JP Morgan Chase developed an option pricing model using quantum algorithms, improving market volatility prediction accuracy by 15%. Encouraged by these achievements, major global investment banks are considering adopting quantum computing, with market research firm McKinsey predicting the quantum computing market in the financial sector to reach $5 billion annually by 2030.
In the pharmaceutical industry, quantum computing is playing a game-changing role. Swiss company Roche successfully discovered a candidate substance for Alzheimer’s treatment using Google’s quantum computer, reducing the research period from three years to six months compared to traditional methods. Biogen is using quantum simulations to solve protein folding problems, aiding in the development of Parkinson’s disease treatments. Industry experts predict that quantum computing could reduce drug development costs from the current $2.6 billion to $500 million. Consequently, global pharmaceutical companies are rapidly increasing their investments in quantum computing, with total investment expected to reach $1.2 billion this year.
The effectiveness of quantum computing is also being demonstrated in logistics and supply chain optimization. Germany’s Volkswagen utilized Amazon’s Braket service to build a traffic flow optimization system, achieving a 20% reduction in traffic congestion in Beijing. FedEx reported annual fuel savings of $100 million through delivery route optimization using quantum algorithms. As these success stories become known, the adoption of quantum computing in the logistics industry is accelerating, with market experts predicting the market size in this field to reach $3 billion by 2028.
However, the quantum computing industry faces significant challenges. The most pressing issue is the high quantum error rate. Even the most advanced quantum computers currently have an error rate of around 0.1%, falling short of the industry standard of 0.001% or lower for practical use. Additionally, the cost of building cryogenic cooling facilities required for operating quantum computers is around $10 million per unit, posing a substantial initial investment burden. The shortage of skilled personnel is also a serious issue, with only about 5,000 quantum computing experts worldwide, and the industry estimating a need for 100,000 specialists by 2030.
The future outlook for the quantum computing market remains bright. Market research firm IDC predicts that the global quantum computing market will grow at an average annual rate of 32% to reach $85 billion by 2030. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to have the highest growth rate, with China, Japan, and Korea identified as major growth drivers. In terms of investment, global venture investments in the quantum computing sector reached $2.4 billion this year, a 40% increase from the previous year. Government support is also expanding, with the United States committing $12.5 billion over the next five years through the National Quantum Initiative, China planning a $15 billion investment, and the European Union announcing a $10 billion quantum technology investment plan. Based on these large-scale investments and technological advancements, quantum computing is expected to enter a full-scale commercialization era starting in 2025.
*This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Investment decisions should be made at one’s own discretion and responsibility.*
