IDC says investments in quantum computing are expected to increase in the next 24 months. The number of organizations allocating more than 17% of their annual IT budgets for this technology are expected to rise from 7% in 2021 to an estimated 19% in 2023.
These investments will be driven by organizations seeking to achieve a competitive advantage by using quantum computing technology to improve and accelerate business processes with enhanced AI capabilities, better security, and optimized algorithms.
At the start of 2021, one-fifth of companies interested in quantum computing technology reported current usage and two-thirds expect to be experimenting with this technology in the next 18-24 months.
Drivers of growth
This growth is due to global enterprises investing in cloud-based platforms that provide access to quantum computing hardware and software, hiring quantum specialists, training quantum developers, and collaborating with quantum vendors to develop new business solutions.
Complex technology, skillset limitations, lack of available resources, and cost deter some organizations from investing in quantum computing technology. To ease these concerns, quantum computing vendors, select cloud-service providers, and independent software vendors are offering quantum cloud-based solutions that allow organizations to experiment with this technology.
Combined, quantum computing infrastructure as a service (QCIaaS), platform as a service (QCPaaS), and software as a service (QCSaaS) offerings provide organizations access to the quantum computing technology, applications, technical support, and other resources needed to begin the quantum journey.
Technical and business consultancy services are also gaining popularity. These services help clients determine the value of adopting quantum computing technology, develop and test quantum algorithms, and become more resilient in a post-quantum era.
"Quantum computing is the future industry and infrastructure disruptor for organizations looking to use large amounts of data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to accelerate real-time business intelligence and innovate product development."
Heather West
"Many organizations — from many industries — are already experimenting with its potential today to gain a competitive advantage tomorrow," said Heather West, senior research analyst, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms, and Technology at IDC.
She added that organizations interested in quantum computing should not be deterred from investing in this technology as it is likely to become an industry disruptor.
Beyond 2025
Heike Riel, fellow, department head science & technology, IBM Research, says: looking to 2025 and beyond, we think that our dream of frictionless quantum computing will become a reality—one where the hardware is no longer a concern to users or developers.
"By then, we envision that developers across all levels of the quantum computing stack will rely upon on our advanced hardware with a cloud-based API, working seamlessly with high-performance computing resources to push the limits of computation overall—and include quantum computation as a natural component of their existing computation pipelines."
Heike Riel
"We hope that by 2030, companies and users are running billions, if not a trillion quantum circuits a day, perhaps without even realizing that they’re doing so," she concluded.
