The year of quantum and what it means for innovators

The designation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology has shone a spotlight on progress within the quantum sector. It was fitting that the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis for their discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit. The Nobel committee highlighted the importance of this breakthrough in enabling developments in the next generation of quantum technology.

2025 has not just been a year of recognising past achievements in quantum: there has been an increasing focus on addressing real-world problems, rather than artificial test scenarios:

• Google Quantum AI reported that its superconducting-based processor performed a physics simulation 13,000 times faster than the current top-ranked supercomputer, taking just over two hours to perform the calculation instead of about 3.2 years.
• Superconductivity simulation is extremely challenging, but Quantinuum released results showing their trapped-ion qubit architecture is capable of simulating a particular superconductivity model at scales unachievable using classical techniques.
• Quantum hardware was also used in finance, with IBM and HSBC presenting improvements in predicting the likelihood of filling a trade at a quoted price using a quantum-enabled algorithm (although questions remain over whether the advantage is genuine).

Looking to the future, we’re seeing vast amounts of money being poured into the sector, suggesting real optimism that the run-up to commercialisation is already beginning. The level of investment indicates that we could see meaningful commercial deployment within the next 6 years or so, which is far sooner than the typical jaded view that “quantum computing is always 10 years away”.

However, the positivity surrounding the sector begs the question of whether the current momentum will continue through 2026. Some of the publicly-traded pure-play quantum computing entities have huge valuations that are difficult to reconcile with the level of current commercial revenues. The appetite for quantum nevertheless appears strong at the start of 2026, although we may see some market recalibration in the medium term. While benefiting from the current positive funding climate, businesses should focus on building a solid foundation, including robust and repeatable results, strategic IP protection and strong collaborations, to put themselves in a competitive position for the future.

Over 2025, we have also seen growing emphasis on technology sovereignty. Quantum technologies are being recognised as highly important strategic resources, essential to maintain security and control. As global competition intensifies, and foreign powers seek to embed their technology in critical infrastructure, it is vital for nations to cultivate an environment in which quantum technologies can develop and scale domestically, supported by local investment, to avoid control and value being ceded across borders. These considerations already came into play in the acquisition of Oxford Ionics by IonQ in 2025, which was held up to allow the UK government to scrutinise the purchase and ensure compliance with the National Security and Investment Act. While the acquisition was eventually approved, it was with the caveat that all of Oxford Ionics’ trapped-ion hardware and infrastructure (including personnel) remain in the UK, indicating how seriously the government is viewing quantum computing as a sensitive national asset.

We could see meaningful commercial deployment within the next 6 years

From a UK perspective, ensuring sovereignty of quantum technologies will be a challenge. The UK has traditionally punched above its weight in university-based research and early-stage companies, but British businesses have typically struggled to find sufficient UK-based funding to maintain momentum through the so-called “valley of death” between startup and commercialisation. Efforts to address this are already underway: the UK government’s announcement in June 2025 of £670 million in funding for quantum computing demonstrates a strong desire to reduce the risk of highly-sensitive quantum tech and IP flowing out of the UK. Encouragingly, 2025 also saw the launch of some hugely ambitious, quantum-focused VC funds, including Quantum Exponential and Firgun Ventures, which are both UK-based.

With 2025 offering a tantalising glimpse into what might be achieved by quantum technologies, the prospects for quantum in 2026 look strong.