University of Kwazulu-Natal

2025 Year In Review Quantum Computing Development Accelerates

Bonisiwe Shabane
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2025 year in review quantum computing development accelerates

Quantum computing hogged the headlines in 2025 and it was ok to say it was the year of quantum--or maybe qubits--after just a few months. The quantum computing developments were flying, but it's worth noting that we're years away from big commercial adoption. Nevertheless, CxOs need to get ready. After all, the boardroom is getting tired of AI. The AI trade lost steam. Boardrooms are going to start asking about your quantum computing plans in 3, 2, 1.

Why was 2025 the year of quantum? For starters, there was a new development almost weekly. Pure play quantum stocks were hot. Hyperscale cloud players were deadly serious about quantum, with AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud all running credible efforts. Quantinuum threaded the needle between AI and quantum computing. IBM scaled aggressively.

And real use cases emerged as companies like IonQ cited projects with DARPA, AstraZeneca, and others. One thing worth noting here is that 2025 became the year of quantum readiness and development rather than deployment. That said, CxOs need to start thinking about quantum. Constellation Research analyst Holger Mueller broke down how you should be thinking about the year of quantum. Welcome to our look back at some of the most impactful quantum technology stories of 2025. This year marked a period of significant advancement, moving beyond theoretical breakthroughs toward demonstrable progress in building practical quantum systems.

From record-breaking qubit fidelity and expanding qubit counts to innovative approaches in error correction and the burgeoning integration of quantum and classical computing, the landscape of quantum technology continued to rapidly evolve. 2025 will be remembered as a pivotal year where the foundational elements of quantum computing began to coalesce, hinting at the transformative potential that lies ahead. These stories represent not just scientific achievements, but concrete steps towards a future where quantum technology reshapes industries and unlocks solutions to previously intractable problems. Researchers at IonQ, led by Dr. Chris Monroe and Nobel Laureate Dr. David Wineland, demonstrated the first experimental quantum logic gate using trapped ions in 1995 at NIST, transitioning quantum computing from theory to tangible hardware.

This foundational experiment, with the physics still relevant today, enabled IonQ to prioritize engineering, scaling, and ultimately become the first public pure-play quantum computing company. In the quest for error correction, entagledfuture.com on conjunction wuth Quantum Zeitgeist have launched a logical qubit tracker. Expect regular updates on the milestones being hit in the quest for fault tolerant quantum computing. Researchers at IBM Quantum have demonstrated the first successful learning experiment of a Lindblad model—a crucial step for understanding and mitigating errors—on a 156-qubit superconducting quantum processor. Their new method analyzes time-series data to map errors and enable more accurate control, utilizing a robust curve-fitting procedure and a specialized solver to ensure a physically valid and scalable model. Please note that by blocking any or all cookies you may not have access to certain features, content or personalization.

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This can be done through the following steps: 1. Open the settings menu by clicking the hamburger menu in the top right 2. Choose “App Settings” from the menu 3. Turn on the option “Links Open Externally” (This will use the device’s default browser) When it comes to quantum technology (QT), investment is surging and breakthroughs are multiplying.

The United Nations has designated 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, celebrating 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics. Our research confirms that QT is gaining widespread traction worldwide. McKinsey’s fourth annual Quantum Technology Monitor covers last year’s breakthroughs, investment trends, and emerging opportunities in this fast-evolving landscape. In 2024, the QT industry saw a shift from growing quantum bits (qubits) to stabilizing qubits—and that marks a turning point. It signals to mission-critical industries that QT could soon become a safe and reliable component of their technology infrastructure. To that end, this year’s report provides a special deep dive into the fast-growing market of quantum communication, which could unlock the security needed for widespread QT uptake.

Quantum technology encompasses three subfields: Our new research shows that the three core pillars of QT—quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing—could together generate up to $97 billion in revenue worldwide by 2035. Quantum computing will capture the bulk of that revenue, growing from $4 billion in revenue in 2024 to as much as $72 billion in 2035 (see sidebar “What is quantum technology?”). While QT will affect many industries, the chemicals, life sciences, finance, and mobility industries will see the most growth. McKinsey initiated its annual quantum technology report in 2021 to track the rapidly evolving quantum technology landscape. We analyze three principal areas of the field: quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing.

The analysis is based on input from various sources, including publicly available data, expert interviews, and proprietary McKinsey analyses. The conclusions and estimations have been cross-checked across market databases and validated through investor reports, press releases, and expert input. Because not all deal values are publicly disclosed and databases are updated continuously, our research does not provide a definitive or exhaustive list of start-ups, funding activities, investment splits, or patents and publications. 2025 has been a milestone year for quantum computing, marked by record-breaking experiments and technological firsts. Researchers unveiled the first topological quantum processor – an 8-qubit device using exotic Majorana particles for inherently stable qubits Sciencedaily Sciencedaily. In another leap, D-Wave’s annealing computer solved a complex magnetic simulation in minutes – a task so complex it would take a classical supercomputer essentially millions of years Dwavequantum.

“Our achievement shows we can solve problems beyond the reach of the world’s most powerful supercomputers,” said D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz of this result Dwavequantum. Late 2024 set the stage for these advances: Google debuted its 105-qubit “Willow” superconducting chip with unprecedented error-correction performance Mckinsey, and IBM crossed the 1,000-qubit milestone with its Condor processor Notebookcheck. Such achievements reflect what one report calls a shift “from development to deployment”, as quantum hardware becomes more powerful and reliable Mckinsey. Multiple quantum technologies are progressing in parallel. The leading approach, superconducting qubits (IBM, Google, etc.), has already scaled into the hundreds of qubits on a single chip. Trapped-ion qubits (IonQ, Quantinuum) offer the highest gate fidelities – IonQ recently surpassed 99.9% two-qubit fidelity on a prototype system Quantumcomputingreport – though operations are slower.

Quantum annealing (pioneered by D-Wave) uses thousands of qubits for optimization problems; D-Wave’s Advantage machine with 5,000+ qubits has shown a clear speedup for certain tasks Dwavequantum. Photonic quantum computers (PsiQuantum, Xanadu) encode qubits in photons traveling through optical circuits; a 2025 breakthrough achieved ultra-low-loss photonic chips, a key step for scaling up optical qubits Phys. Other approaches, like neutral atoms (Pasqal, QuEra) and topological qubits(Microsoft’s focus), are also making progress. This “quantum zoo” of technologies Phys indicates a healthy, multi-pronged drive toward the same goal: more qubits with less error. Quantum computing is beginning to show real use cases across industries: Governments worldwide consider quantum technology a strategic priority and have escalated investments:

Significant challenges remain on the path to large-scale quantum computing. The foremost issue is error correction: today’s qubits are highly error-prone and lose coherence quickly. Reaching fault-tolerance will require implementing quantum error-correcting codes that use many physical qubits to create one reliable logical qubit. This demands qubit counts in the thousands (or more) and error rates far below current levels. Steady progress is being made – for instance, researchers have shown that bigger quantum error-correcting codes can suppress error rates Thequantuminsider – but truly error-corrected, long computations are not yet possible. Quantum computing has been one of the most exciting technologies in the world for years.In 2025, it’s no longer just a theory or a dream — it’s becoming real.Today, businesses, researchers, and governments are...

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what has happened so far, the major milestones reached in 2025, and what breakthroughs are shaping the future of quantum technology. If you’re curious about the future of computing, this is the perfect place to start! Quantum computing is a type of computing that leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations. Unlike classical computers which use bits to represent data (0 or 1), quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in a superposition of both 0 and 1 simultaneously, and can also be entangled, allowing... Before we dive into 2025, let’s quickly understand what quantum computing is. A year of technology headlines.

Image: Unsplash/Robynne O In 2025, frontier technologies crossed key thresholds – not just advancing, but beginning to scale. From quantum security and spatial computing to climate and food systems innovation, this was a year when convergence turned into consequence. Across industries and geographies, we began to see technologies that once were at the edge of experimentation begin shaping real-world decisions: how banks secure data in a post-quantum future, how satellites inform climate and... This end-of-year edition of our Frontier Technologies & Innovation wrapper brings together the developments that mattered most in 2025. Drawing on the Forum’s research, global convenings and innovation communities, it highlights the breakthroughs that moved from promise to deployment and the leadership choices now required to ensure they deliver shared, sustainable value.

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