Quantum computing
A different way to compute. A demanding path to useful results.
Quantum computing tries to solve particular problems by controlling quantum states. A qubit can carry a combination of states; operations make those states interact so that a measurement can produce a useful answer. The difficulty is keeping the calculation intact while noise and imperfect controls introduce errors. More qubits help only if the machine can use them reliably.
There are several businesses inside the theme. System builders sell machines or cloud access. Other suppliers provide control electronics, lasers, cooling, software or integration. Quantum communication transfers quantum information, while quantum sensing measures quantities such as time or magnetic fields. These are related technologies with different customers and routes to revenue; they should not be treated as one product market.
Market size & opportunity
McKinsey’s April 2026 Quantum Technology Monitor estimates that quantum-computing companies generated over US$1 billion of worldwide revenue in 2025. It projects a global quantum-computing technology market of US$43–71 billion in 2035. The range concerns hardware, software and services, rather than the much larger economic benefits that customers might eventually gain.
A supplier of control electronics can earn revenue before a fault-tolerant computer arrives. Its reachable market still depends on which machine designs use its equipment, the amount of electronics per system and whether customers build those parts themselves. Research funding, supplier revenue and customer savings are three different numbers. Adding them together makes an impressive total and a poor market estimate.
Market outlook
Quantum computing revenue
Worldwide · US$ billion per year
- 2025Study baseline> 1
- 2035Forecast43–71
Hatched area shows the forecast range
Computing hardware, software and services, excluding the economic value customers might gain. The study puts 2025 revenue above US$1 billion and gives a forecast range, not a single target.
McKinseyForecast published
Recent progress
Error correction is making progress at small scale. A Nature Physics paper published on 13 July 2026 demonstrated error correction within a single atomic ion, using additional internal states. The experiment extended the encoded qubit’s lifetime by up to 1.5 times compared with an unencoded qubit. It is a laboratory result, not a demonstration of a commercially useful quantum computer.
The business test is a repeatable result on a useful task, measured against the best conventional method. That comparison must include data preparation, control equipment, error correction and the time needed to obtain the answer. A roadmap can tell customers what a developer intends to build. Paid repeat use tells us more about what it can deliver now.
Sources
- IBM · Quantum computing fundamentals
- McKinsey · Quantum Technology Monitor, April 2026
- Nature Physics · Error correction in a single atomic ion, July 2026
Updated
Research & reports
From CERN roots to quantum control: Creotech Quantum S.A.
The Warsaw company sells the electronics that tell scientific equipment what to do and precisely when to do it. Its next challenge is helping quantum computers grow beyond the laboratory.