The sector expects to reach $22 billion by 2032, but it needs to overcome the shortage of professionals and mature its software platforms to fulfill its commercial promise.
IQM Quantum Computers, in collaboration with the analytics firm Omdia, has released the third edition of its annual report State of Quantum, which warns that the advancement of quantum computing now depends as much on the availability of specialized talent as it does on the evolution of software platforms, and not solely on the increase in the number of qubits in processors.
The report states that quantum computing is transitioning from theoretical promise to practical integration, estimating that the global market will exceed $22 billion by 2032, driven by the acceleration of commercial deployments. However, the study highlights concerns among industry leaders regarding two key challenges: the lack of qualified professionals and the fragmentation of software development kits (SDKs), which limits portability and slows adoption in multi-vendor environments.
Beyond Qubits: Hardware-Software Integration and New Professional Profiles
Seventy-five percent of respondents believe that identifying the right applications will be the most decisive factor for the adoption of quantum computing. As Jan Goetz, co-CEO and co-founder of IQM, explains, “The potential of quantum is clear, but turning it into reality requires coordinated advancements across the entire stack, from hardware to software, to transform these machines into tools with real impact.”
The document emphasizes that industry progress hinges on synchronizing the industrialization of hardware with the maturity of software platforms. Currently, the fragmentation of quantum SDKs complicates portability and hinders deployment in multi-vendor environments.
Convergence of HPC, AI, and Quantum Computing
The report also highlights the convergence between high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, and quantum computing as the major driver for the next wave of growth. Experts emphasize that the infrastructure and orchestration provided by HPC are essential for integrating quantum systems in real-world environments, ensuring that both quantum and classical resources work together coherently.
According to Alexander Harrowell, senior analyst at Omdia, the three major challenges identified are: “Reaching a sufficient level of reliability to consider quantum computers as industrial products, improving the software layer to achieve an AI-like user experience, and helping users identify and implement experiments that benefit from quantum computing. Moreover, it is expected that multiple quantum technologies will coexist, each with its specialization.”
Key Trends and Recommendations from the Report
Sector Priorities: Fifty-seven percent of respondents point to drug discovery and molecular modeling as their top quantum priorities, ahead of finance and chemistry.
Funding: After a setback in 2023, venture capital investment surged in 2024, with 58% of the total allocated to North American companies and an average deal size three times greater than that in Europe.
- Challenges: The shortage of specialized talent and difficulty accessing growth funding outside the U.S. are the largest systemic risks for the sector.
Among the strategic priorities identified by the report are:
- Better Abstraction Layers to bridge the physics of qubits with practical business problem-solving.
- Unified Orchestration and Planning to seamlessly operate quantum and HPC resources.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration, integrating quantum experts, software developers, and specialists in each application domain.
The Challenge: Moving from Experimentation to Industrial Adoption
The report State of Quantum 2025 provides a realistic view of the current state of the sector: technology is ready to start solving concrete problems in areas like healthcare, but only if the industry can overcome the talent deficit and close the gap between hardware and software tools. Collaboration among quantum specialists, developers, and industry experts will be key to generating the ecosystem that can harness the disruptive potential of quantum computing.
The complete report can be viewed at meetiqm.com.