Quantum report charts growing business interest, varied public awareness
By Beth Stackpole
What you’ll learn:
- An analysis of 58,070 corporate communication documents from 2022 to 2024 revealed increasing references to quantum computing.
- Corporate interest in quantum technologies is growing, rising from just four mentions in earnings calls in Q1 2016 to 25 mentions in Q1 2024 — a more than sixfold increase.
- Most respondents to survey were at opposite ends of the knowledge spectrum: They were either very familiar or very unfamiliar with quantum computing.
As quantum technologies evolve from theoretical concepts to tangible technologies flush with promise, both the public and private sectors are becoming increasingly interested in opportunities to develop commercial applications.
Quantum computing is now mentioned far more regularly in company documents and earnings calls than it used to be, indicating that the technology is on the radar of industry and government leaders, according to a new report from the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. Leaders are trying to figure out the relevance of emerging quantum technologies for business use, much like they’ve done in recent years with artificial intelligence.
“There is strong evidence that curiosity into quantum computing among senior leaders of corporate America is rapidly increasing,” said Jonathan Ruane, a research scientist at MIT IDE and editor-in-chief of the “Quantum Index Report 2025,” which delves into the state of the quantum landscape to educate nonexperts and business leaders. The report was co-authored by researchers Elif Kiesow and Johannes Galatsanos from MIT IDE, and Carl Dukatz, Edward Blomquist, and Prashant Shukla from Accenture.
“The fact that many senior business leaders are taking quantum seriously indicates the rapid progress and the belief that we are on the cusp of important breakthroughs,” Ruane said.
The report highlights several trends that showcase rising business interest in quantum and the growing potential for commercial use cases.
Corporate mentions of quantum computing surge
An analysis of 58,070 corporate communication documents — such as company reports, transcripts of interviews with experts, and research documents — from 2022 to 2024 revealed increasing references to quantum computing, suggesting an expanding awareness of quantum and its inclusion in mainstream business discussions, not just technical discourse, the researchers found. News-related corporate communications content saw particularly pronounced increases.
References to quantum computing in corporate communications more generally escalated in 2024, with each quarter showing substantial increases in mentions across all forms of company documents. “While research documents naturally maintain high levels of quantum computing references, the significant increase in mentions across other document categories … might suggest a growing understanding of the technology’s presence in corporate communications,” the researchers write.
Market projections are on the rise
References to quantum technologies are also becoming more common in corporate earnings calls, growing more than sixfold from 2016 to 2024. Much of the heightened attention can be associated with major players actively integrating quantum computing into their strategic roadmaps — for example, IBM expanding its quantum facilities and launching new initiatives and AI powerhouse Nvidia announcing partnerships with quantum startups.
As quantum technologies are more frequently discussed in C-suite and financial circles, markets are taking notice. A Technavio report estimated that the global quantum computing market will grow by $17.34 billion from 2024 to 2028, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 26%. Startup investment is also on the rise, evidenced by a $300 million equity infusion for quantum computing company Quantinuum in 2024.
Public awareness of quantum computing varies
Public engagement and trust are crucial to quantum technologies moving from research lab initiatives to practical applications driving mainstream business.
In a survey of 1,375 U.S. residents conducted by the research team in October 2024, half of respondents had some level of knowledge about quantum computing, compared with 25% who said they were not at familiar with the technology at all. Most of the survey respondents were at opposite ends of the knowledge spectrum: They had either had minimal exposure to quantum technology or had invested significant time in understanding it. Given that the largest group is those who are “somewhat familiar” with the technology, it makes sense that a wave of recent exposure through media coverage or educational initiatives has had some influence, the researchers write.
Although companies are talking and markets are listening, public understanding of quantum technologies is still relatively nascent, providing plenty of opportunity for education and awareness-building. At the same time, quantum computing itself is still evolving, and there is work to be done in several areas, such as advancing error correction, increasing the reliability of qubits, and generally improving the performance of quantum hardware, Ruane said.
“We can see from the data that interest amongst the business community is increasing, but many people are still hungry for more informed insights and nuanced perspectives,” he said. “There’s still an enormous amount of learning that needs to happen across industries, and we’ll continue to see the trend for many years.”
This story is based on work co-authored by MIT researchers Jonathan Ruane, Elif Kiesow, and Johannes Galatsanos. Jonathan Ruane is a senior lecturer in global economics and management at MIT Sloan and a research scientist at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. His research interests are at the intersection of digital technology, entrepreneurship, advanced computing, and international markets. Elif Kiesow is a research affiliate at the MIT IDE who specializes in transatlantic and global governance strategies. Johannes Galatsanos is a researcher at the MIT IDE who focuses on delivering transformation with data, AI, quantum computing, and quantum sensing.
Fonte: mitsloan.mit.edu
