The Turning Point of the Quantum Computing Industry in 2025: Global Technological Hegemony Amidst Commercialization Race and Investment Boom
Editor
The Turning Point of Quantum Computing Industry Commercialization
As the quantum computing industry moves beyond theoretical research into practical commercialization by 2025, it is becoming a new battleground for global technological supremacy. According to market research firm Gartner, the global quantum computing market, which was valued at $18 billion in 2024, is expected to grow at an annual rate of 24.3% to reach $65 billion by 2030. Particularly, from the second half of 2025, the practical adoption of quantum computing-based solutions in key industries such as finance, pharmaceuticals, and logistics is accelerating, drawing attention from the industry.
The core of quantum computing technology lies in its ability to process multiple states simultaneously using qubits, leveraging the principles of superposition and entanglement in quantum mechanics, unlike traditional computers that process information in bits of 0s and 1s. Theoretically, the processing power increases exponentially with the number of qubits, but in practice, commercialization has been challenging due to the instability of quantum states and error rates. However, by 2025, major companies have achieved remarkable progress in error correction technology and qubit stability, reaching a level where practical applications are feasible.
IBM, based in New York and holding the most advanced technology in the quantum computing field, surprised the industry by announcing the ‘Condor,’ a quantum processor with over 1,000 qubits, in December 2024. IBM’s quantum network currently includes over 200 institutions worldwide, and as of the first half of 2025, the cumulative workload processed has exceeded 3 billion operations. IBM has outlined a roadmap to reduce error rates from the current 0.1% to 0.001% by 2025 and is preparing to launch commercial services in financial risk analysis and new drug development.
California-based Google (Alphabet) has been steadily developing technology since declaring the achievement of ‘Quantum Supremacy’ in 2019 and unveiled a new quantum chip ‘Willow’ at the end of 2024. Google’s Willow chip is equipped with 105 qubits and reportedly performs certain calculations 10^25 times faster than existing supercomputers. Google plans to fully commercialize cloud-based quantum computing services in 2025 and is already conducting pilot projects with global companies such as Volkswagen and Roche.
The Chinese government also views quantum computing as a core of next-generation technological supremacy and continues to invest heavily. The University of Science and Technology of China has developed a quantum computer ‘Jiuzhang’ with 66 qubits, claiming it performs certain sampling problems 1 million times faster than Google’s Sycamore. The Chinese government plans to invest a total of $15 billion in the quantum technology sector by 2025, with 60% focused on quantum computing research and development.
Strategies for Korean Companies Entering the Quantum Computing Market
The Korean government announced a comprehensive plan to foster quantum science and technology in December 2024, pledging to invest a total of 2.1 trillion won in quantum technology development by 2035. Of this, 800 billion won is allocated to the quantum computing sector, with substantial investments beginning in 2025. The Korean quantum computing market size is estimated at approximately 350 billion won as of 2024 and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 28% to reach 1.5 trillion won by 2030.
Samsung Electronics, headquartered in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, has secured a unique position in the quantum computing hardware manufacturing sector. Samsung produces cryogenic cooling systems and precision control equipment necessary for quantum processor manufacturing and supplies key components to major quantum computing companies such as IBM and Google. Samsung’s sales of quantum computing-related components reached 120 billion won in 2024, a 45% increase from the previous year, and are expected to exceed 200 billion won in 2025. Samsung has also embarked on developing its own quantum processor, planning to release a 50-qubit quantum chip by 2027.
Seoul-based SK Telecom plays a leading role in quantum cryptography communication and quantum computing cloud services. SK Telecom launched the nation’s first commercial quantum cryptography communication service in September 2024, currently used by over 50 entities, including government agencies and financial companies. Quantum cryptography communication service revenue reached 15 billion won in 2024 and is expected to expand to 40 billion won in 2025. SK Telecom is also collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide quantum computing cloud services to domestic companies and plans to establish its own quantum computing center in the first half of 2025.
LG Electronics, headquartered in Seoul, is focusing on developing quantum computing application software. LG began investing in quantum machine learning and quantum optimization algorithm research in 2023 and developed a quantum algorithm for smart factory optimization in 2024, applying it to its production lines on a trial basis. This system improved production efficiency by 15% and reduced energy consumption by 8%. LG plans to license this technology to external manufacturers starting in 2025, with related revenue projected to reach 50 billion won by 2030.
The financial industry is also accelerating the adoption of quantum computing. Major domestic banks began reviewing the introduction of quantum computing-based risk analysis systems in the second half of 2024, and some securities firms are already conducting pilot projects. Quantum computing-based portfolio optimization and credit risk assessment systems can enhance calculation speed by over 1,000 times compared to existing methods, enabling real-time decision-making. The Bank of Korea plans to form a task force for quantum cryptocurrency research in 2025 and is considering applying quantum security technology when issuing digital won.
The pharmaceutical industry is also emerging as a major application field for quantum computing. Utilizing quantum computing for molecular simulation and protein folding prediction in drug development can reduce the development period from the existing 10-15 years to 5-7 years. Domestic pharmaceutical companies have started collaborative projects with global quantum computing companies since 2024, with full-scale quantum-based new drug development set to begin in 2025. Industry experts predict that the quantum computing-based new drug development market will grow to $20 billion globally by 2030.
Investment Trends and Future Prospects
Investments in the quantum computing sector by venture capital and strategic investors are surging in 2025. The global investment in quantum computing startups reached $2.4 billion in 2024, a 35% increase from the previous year. Investments are particularly increasing in quantum software and algorithm development companies, with the initial hardware-focused investment pattern expanding to software and application services. The main investment areas are quantum machine learning (40%), quantum optimization (25%), quantum simulation (20%), and quantum cryptography (15%).
Quantum computing investments in Korea are also becoming active. Investments in domestic quantum technology startups totaled 45 billion won in 2024, with 70% concentrated in the second half. Major investment destinations include the Korean subsidiary of quantum cryptography communication specialist ID Quantique and quantum software developer Q-Cent. The government-led K-Quantum Fund will begin full-scale operations in 2025, executing a total investment of 500 billion won over five years.
Despite the rapid growth of the quantum computing industry, several challenges remain. The biggest issues are still high error rates and qubit stability. Even the most advanced quantum computers currently have error rates of 0.1-1%, which need to be reduced to below 0.001% for practical applications. Additionally, the cost of maintaining the cryogenic environment required for operating quantum computers amounts to tens of billions of won annually, making economic viability a crucial challenge. The shortage of specialized quantum computing personnel is also a serious issue, with only about 5,000 Ph.D.-level experts worldwide, limiting industry growth.
From a geopolitical perspective, quantum computing is becoming a key element in the new technological hegemony competition. The United States took measures to ban the export of quantum computing technology to China in 2022 and formed a ‘Quantum Technology Alliance’ with allied countries in 2024. In response, China is accelerating the establishment of an independent quantum technology ecosystem, while the European Union is securing technological sovereignty through the ‘European Quantum Flagship’ program. Korea is pursuing a strategy focused on securing independent technological capabilities while based on cooperation with the United States.
From the second half of 2025, the full-scale commercialization of quantum computing is expected to begin. Commercial services are set to launch in specific fields where quantum superiority is clear, such as financial risk analysis, new drug development, logistics optimization, and energy management. Market experts evaluate 2026 as the ‘Year of Practicalization’ for quantum computing, with the global quantum computing ecosystem expected to be fully established by 2030. In this process, technology standardization, talent cultivation, and regulatory system refinement are analyzed to be key elements for industry development.
The information in this article is based on data as of December 27, 2025, and may change due to rapidly evolving technological environments and market conditions. Please ensure to verify the latest information and consult with experts before making investment decisions.
