The contours of a new economic paradigm are already beginning to emerge — not only in corporate conference rooms and stock market valuations, but also in laboratories, national research centers, and cloud-based quantum platforms accessible to companies around the world.
This emerging field, increasingly referred to as the quantum economy, reflects the convergence of quantum computing with real-world business strategy, industrial processes, and public policy. The question is no longer whether quantum technologies will change the global economy, but how soon this will happen — and who will be ready.
Quantum computing is based on a fundamentally different approach compared to classical computers. Traditional electronic computers process information using bits—elementary units that can only take one of two values: 0 or 1. Quantum systems use qubits — physical objects capable of being in superposition. This means that until measured, a qubit simultaneously “contains” both values, rather than simply switching between them. Combined with entanglement—a quantum correlation in which the state of one qubit instantly determines the state of another, even at a great distance—such systems can explore exponentially larger solution spaces.
The result is not just faster calculations, but a qualitative leap in the ability to solve problems that are inaccessible to classical machines. In December 2024, Google's 105-qubit Willow processor demonstrated this potential by completing a test calculation in less than five minutes — a task that would take the most powerful supercomputer 10 sextillion years to solve, which is significantly longer than the age of the universe. This breakthrough was a turning point: quantum systems are moving from theoretical research to practical application.
Grigory Burenkov, whose investment company Wheelerson Management closely monitors the development of new technologies in Europe and Asia, notes:
"We are at the dawn of something that in ten to fifteen years will become as commonplace a part of infrastructure as cloud servers or mobile networks are today. Quantum computing will not replace classical computing — it will occupy its own niche, like diesel engines alongside gasoline engines: not needed everywhere, but indispensable where it is needed."
Governments are responding with unprecedented speed. According to McKinsey estimates, government investment in quantum technologies reached $1.8 billion in 2024 alone. By early 2025, this figure had exceeded $10 billion thanks to initiatives such as Japan's $7.4 billion national quantum technology program and Spain's $900 million project. PwC highlights that Australia has allocated $620 million to support PsiQuantum, which plans to build the world's first fault-tolerant industrial-scale quantum computer in Brisbane by 2027. The US, the European Union, and China are also actively mobilizing resources, recognizing that leadership in quantum technologies will determine competitiveness in areas such as pharmaceuticals, energy, and national security. China, in particular, has chosen a centralized, state-run model reminiscent of the Manhattan Project: research is coordinated by physicist Pan Jianwei, and since 2022, the country has published more scientific papers on quantum technologies than any other nation.
“When countries invest billions not in weapons but in qubits, it speaks volumes,” says Burenkov. “They are no longer discussing whether there will be a quantum era — they are arguing about who will dictate the rules in it. This is a new race for technological sovereignty, and it is quieter but more decisive than previous ones.”
Businesses are no less active. According to the Boston Consulting Group, Fortune 500 companies are already implementing more than 100 pilot quantum projects, with approximately $300 million in corporate investment.
Microsoft has unveiled its Majorana 1 chip, based on topological qubits, saying that industrial quantum solutions could be available “in a few years, not decades.” The IBM Quantum System Two modular system and its 156-qubit processor, which is 50 times faster than the previous generation, are specifically designed for corporate and scientific use. Quantinuum has achieved 99.9% accuracy in two-qubit operations on all qubit pairs in its H-Series system—the first commercial device to exceed this threshold—paving the way for high-precision modeling in finance and materials science. The D-Wave Advantage2 processor, with more than 4,400 qubits, has demonstrated up to 25,000 times faster acceleration in solving applied problems.
“Previously, companies were asking: “Does this even work at all?”” says Grigory Burenkov. “Today, the question is different: ‘Where exactly will this work for us?’ It's a shift from curiosity to strategy — and it's happening much faster than in the era of the first blockchains or even early AI.”
These achievements are already yielding tangible results in various industries. At the Ford Otosan plant in Turkey, hybrid quantum algorithms have halved the time needed to plan the production of thousands of vehicle configurations. At the Port of Los Angeles, similar methods have reduced crane usage by 40% and cut waiting times by two hours. Boeing has applied quantum modeling to study corrosion in lightweight aircraft alloys, reducing the computational load by 85%. Moderna uses quantum-inspired methods to analyze mRNA folding, a key step in the development of vaccines and therapeutics. IBM, in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic, is modeling protein structures that could accelerate the search for treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
“The effect of such projects is like that of the first electric motor in a factory: when there is only one, it seems that nothing has changed. But when there are ten, a hundred, a thousand, the whole logic of production changes. Quantum computing is now following this path,” adds Grigory Burenkov.
Beyond computing, quantum technologies are transforming communications and security. Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides theoretically unbreakable encryption based on the laws of physics: any attempt to intercept a message immediately alters its quantum state and becomes detectable. The Port of Rotterdam has already implemented a fiber-optic QKD network to protect data between control centers, creating what the World Economic Forum calls a “quantum-secure supply chain.” In navigation, quantum magnetometers developed by companies such as Q-CTRL and SandboxAQ provide positioning independent of GPS — a critical advantage for submarines, autonomous vehicles, and underground infrastructure. NASA recently successfully tested an ultra-cold quantum sensor in space, opening up new horizons for deep space exploration and climate monitoring.
However, with great power comes great responsibility. Quantum computers are capable of cracking widely used cryptographic protocols, putting everything from bank transactions to state secrets at risk. Cybersecurity experts warn of so-called “collect now, decrypt later” attacks, where attackers are already collecting encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it in the future. This moment, dubbed “Q-Day,” could come as early as 2030, according to estimates by Forrester, one of the largest IT market research firms. In response, governments and corporations are accelerating the transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) — software algorithms that are resistant to quantum attacks. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has already approved algorithms such as CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium, while Apple, Signal, NXP Semiconductors, and Denso are integrating PQC into firmware and messaging protocols. This transition is no longer optional — it is necessary for survival in the digital environment.
“Quantum security is not paranoia, but an element of business hygiene for the future,” says Grigory Burenkov. “If you store data for more than five years, you should already be thinking about post-quantum cryptography. It's like insuring your office against fire: you hope it won't happen, but you buy the policy anyway.”
Preparing for this transformation requires not only technology, but also personnel, strategy, and cooperation. There is a serious shortage of specialists: most engineers have no training in quantum physics. To address this issue, initiatives such as Airbus and BMW's Quantum Mobility Quest and the Chicago Quantum Exchange have been launched to develop partnerships between academia, business, and government. A joint document by the World Economic Forum and Accenture recommends that executives view quantum technologies not as a distant experiment, but as a strategic priority for the near future, requiring support from top management, retraining of personnel, and alignment with key business objectives.
“The main challenge today is not to buy a quantum computer, but to find people who can explain why it is needed,” notes Grigory Burenkov. “We need ‘translators’ between two worlds: one where success is measured in qubits, and one where it is measured in EBITDA.”
Market forecasts underscore the scale of the stakes. McKinsey estimates that the total market for quantum technologies—including computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensors—could reach $97 billion by 2035 and $198 billion by 2040. The Boston Consulting Group predicts that economic value of between $450 billion and $850 billion will be created by 2040, of which equipment and software manufacturers will receive between $90 billion and $170 billion. Even the most cautious estimates acknowledge that pioneers will set standards, secure intellectual property rights, and attract the best specialists — advantages that will be extremely difficult to catch up with once a mature ecosystem has formed.
As Jay Gambetta, head of IBM Quantum, notes, the current situation resembles that of artificial intelligence in 2012. “The first neural networks were not particularly useful on their own,” he says, “but they became important scientific evidence, which today has turned into enormous computing power.”
“Don't expect a quantum chip to appear in your smartphone tomorrow,” warns Burenkov. “But it is quite possible that in five years' time, your bank, your logistics operator, or your insurer will be using quantum computing ‘under the hood’ — just as unobtrusively as machine learning is used today. The main thing is not to miss the moment when it ceases to be exotic and becomes the norm.”
The era of the quantum economy is not a distant future, but a reality that is already taking shape. From drug development to supply chain resilience, from unbreakable encryption to climate modeling, quantum technologies are poised to redefine the boundaries of what is computable. Those who act decisively — exploring application options, building partnerships, protecting data, and developing talent — will not only minimize risks but also unlock unprecedented opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and growth.
“Quantum computing is not a magic wand,” concludes Grigory Burenkov. “But it gives us a chance to solve problems that were previously considered too complex for the human mind. And in economics, as in life, this is often what determines the winners.”
* Grigory Burenkov is a Cypriot financial analyst, investor, columnist for several socio-political publications, founder and CEO of Wheelerson Management, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Osome Group.
