Large-scale commercial applications of quantum computing remain a distant promise, claims report

28 Jun 2025

Growing demand: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Quantum Index Report 2025 finds that jobs in the quantum sector have tripled in the US since 2018. (Courtesy: istock/olemedia)

Quantum technology is rapidly growing, with job demand tripling in the US, alongside venture capital investments bringing in billions of dollars to the field. That is according to the inaugural Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Quantum Index Report 2025, which finds, however, that large-scale commercial applications for quantum computing still remain “far off”.

Conducted by the Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) at MIT, the report is based on data collected from academia, industry, and policy sources. It aims to track, measure, and visualize trends across various areas, including education, funding, research, and development.

One aim of the report is to simplify the complexity of quantum technology and make the field more accessible and inclusive for entrepreneurs, investors, designers, teachers, and decision-makers. This, in turn, the report says, can help to shape how the technology is developed, commercialized, and governed.

The inaugural edition focuses on quantum computing and networks, due to their higher potential impact compared to quantum sensing and simulation. The report states that $1.6 billion has been raised by quantum-computing firms in 2024, compared with $621 million by quantum-software companies.

The report also finds that jobs in the quantum sector have increased, with demand tripling in the US since 2018. This has led to a higher number of education initiatives, with Germany having the most Master’s degrees that include “quantum” in the name.

A ‘community-led project’

The report states that corporations and universities dominate innovation efforts, accounting for up to 91% of quantum computing patents. When it comes to academic research, the report finds that while China produces the most papers in quantum computing, US research tends to have a greater impact and influence.

Preparing the next generation of US physicists for a quantum future

The report also indexes and analyzes published data on over 200 quantum processing units (QPUs) from 17 countries, providing insight into how the performance of different types of quantum computers can be verified. The report finds that despite QPUs making impressive progress in performance, they remain far from meeting the requirements for running large-scale commercial applications such as chemical simulations or cryptanalysis.

Principal investigator Jonathan Ruane from MIT Sloan calls the report a “community-led project” and encourages people to contribute additional data. He says that while a report will be published annually, data on its website will be updated “as often as input is given”.

FROM PHYSICSWORLD.COM    2-10-2025