The Rise Of Quantum Computing Are We Near A Quantum Breakthrough

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 2, 2026, 3:15 PM

the rise of quantum computing are we near a quantum breakthrough

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. Charting the Future of Data Center, Cloud, and AI Infrastructure In DCF's annual 8 key data center trends forecast for 2025, we predicted that the drive toward quantum computing would be a definitive data center trend this year.

In contrast, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang began the year by downplaying the near-term significance of quantum computing, emphasizing its immaturity compared to classical computing and casting doubt on its readiness for practical applications. In January, Huang stated that quantum computing was still in its infancy and that the technology was "not close" to being useful for real-world problems. He argued that classical computing, particularly with advancements in AI and GPU-accelerated systems, would remain the dominant force in solving complex computational challenges for the foreseeable future. Huang said that practical quantum computers are 15 to 30 years away from being useful. He made this prediction during a keynote at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The NVIDIA CEO's comments caused a significant drop in the stock prices of several quantum computing companies.

Huang's comments were seen by many as a pragmatic assessment of the current state of quantum computing, which, despite significant theoretical promise, has struggled with issues like error correction, scalability, and stability. Huang's skepticism was rooted in the practical limitations of quantum computing. Quantum systems, which rely on qubits to perform calculations, are highly sensitive to environmental interference and require extremely low temperatures to operate. These challenges have made it difficult to build reliable and scalable quantum computers. Huang pointed out that classical computing, as powered by his company's GPUs and AI-driven innovations, continues to deliver exponential improvements in performance, making it a more viable solution for most industries in the near... However, recent developments in the quantum computing space have sparked renewed interest and debate about the technology's trajectory.

In the months following Huang's comments, several breakthroughs have been reported by companies and research institutions. At the heart of today’s computing future lies a new kind of chip—one that could make quantum computing practical, powerful, and scalable. Scientists have been chasing this dream for decades, but one of the biggest hurdles has been control. How can you manage millions of fragile quantum bits, or qubits, without ruining the very information they carry? A new scientific breakthrough offers a bold answer. Researchers have developed a cryogenic control system—electronic circuits that operate just above absolute zero—that works side by side with spin qubits on a silicon chip.

This advancement brings quantum computing one big step closer to solving real-world problems. Spin qubits use the magnetic direction of a single electron to store data. They are one of the most promising types of qubits because they can be built using the same CMOS technology that powers your phone and laptop. That means existing manufacturing methods, already good at making billions of transistors, could also produce millions of qubits. In theory, this makes spin qubits easier and cheaper to scale than other quantum systems. Their small size is another advantage.

Each spin qubit fits into a space smaller than a micron, allowing engineers to pack millions onto one chip. But there’s a big catch. Each qubit requires several control lines to operate. Connecting millions of qubits to control systems quickly becomes unmanageable using current room-temperature setups. To fix this, scientists looked at placing the control electronics much closer to the qubits—at cryogenic temperatures near absolute zero. But this idea brought a new challenge: Would the electronics create heat or noise that would destroy the fragile quantum states?

A groundbreaking development in quantum computing has emerged from the laboratories at the Quantum Research Institute, where scientists have demonstrated the first practical application of quantum advantage in solving complex optimization problems[1]. This achievement marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of quantum computing technology, potentially revolutionizing fields ranging from drug discovery to climate modeling[2]. Researchers led by Dr. Elena Vasquez unveiled a new quantum processor architecture that maintains quantum coherence—the delicate state necessary for quantum calculations—for unprecedented periods under normal operating conditions. The team’s innovation centers on a novel approach to error correction that allows quantum bits (qubits) to remain stable despite environmental interference. “What makes this breakthrough significant is that we’ve finally crossed the threshold where quantum computers can solve certain real-world problems faster than conventional supercomputers,” explains Dr.

Vasquez. “Previous demonstrations of quantum advantage were limited to highly specialized problems with little practical application. This changes everything.”[3] The new quantum system, dubbed “CoherentQ,” utilizes a hybrid approach combining superconducting qubits with topological protection mechanisms. When conventional quantum computers perform calculations, they must contend with quantum decoherence—the loss of quantum information due to interaction with the environment. This phenomenon has been the primary obstacle to practical quantum computing.

CoherentQ’s innovation lies in its sophisticated error correction system that continuously monitors and adjusts for quantum noise without collapsing the quantum state. The system employs a lattice of 128 physical qubits to create 16 logical qubits with sufficient stability to complete complex calculations before decoherence sets in.

The Rise Of Quantum Computing Are We Near A Quantum Breakthrough

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