[Click eStock] "Quantum Computer Expected to be Commercialized Within 5 Years"

Recently, major U.S. big tech companies have succeeded in developing quantum chips that overcome quantum errors and integration density limits, which have been obstacles to the commercialization of quantum computers. As a result, there are forecasts that the quantum computer market will be commercialized within the next five years.

On the 26th, Dongwon Kim, a researcher at KB Securities, stated, "Considering that one million qubits is the benchmark for the commercialization of quantum computers, the quantum computer market is expected to begin commercialization around 2030."

Conventional computers use binary code composed of 0s and 1s for calculations. In contrast, quantum computers utilize qubits that handle 0 and 1 simultaneously based on quantum mechanics, resulting in a dramatic increase in processing speed and capacity. Currently, the global industry is leveraging quantum technology by combining quantum computers with fast data processing speeds and supercomputers that excel in detailed data analysis and tasks.

Researcher Kim said, "For the commercialization of quantum computers, it is necessary to increase the number of qubits and maintain a low error rate. IBM aims to develop a quantum computer by 2029 that simultaneously increases the number of qubits and incorporates error correction capabilities to process data quickly. According to IBM's quantum computer development roadmap, the number of qubits will be 1,121 in 2024, 5,000 in 2025, 7,500 in 2026, 15,000 in 2028, and 100 million in 2029."

In November last year, IBM released Quantum Heron, the highest-performing quantum processor currently available, and a month later, Google unveiled Willow, a quantum chip that surpassed the performance of Frontier, the world's fastest supercomputer. Earlier this month, Microsoft (MS) introduced Majorana1, a quantum chip that addresses the frequent errors caused by sensitivity to external environmental changes such as temperature and magnetic fields.

Researcher Kim explained, "If artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computers are combined in the future, it will overcome the computational performance and power consumption limitations of existing AI hardware such as central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerating the training and inference of ultra-large AI models at lower costs."

He also emphasized, "Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has successfully experimentally implemented a three-dimensional quantum entanglement structure to address the problem of rapidly increasing quantum errors as the number of qubits grows, thereby establishing a turning point to reduce errors." He added, "In particular, if AI is integrated into quantum computer operation, it can correct and control quantum errors, which are vulnerabilities of quantum computers, so the combination of AI and quantum technology is expected to create large-scale synergistic effects."

Meanwhile, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, opening on the 3rd of next month in Barcelona, Spain, SK Telecom and LG Uplus are expected to demonstrate the stability of AI services using quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC), a security technology. Based on PQC, a cryptographic technology designed to be unbreakable by quantum computers, they plan to enhance services that prevent eavesdropping and personal information leaks.

Samsung Electronics is also continuing to develop technologies in the fields of quantum technology and security. While focusing on quantum computer hardware development, Samsung SDS is jointly researching quantum-resistant cryptography. Notably, Samsung Electronics strengthened security features by being the first to incorporate quantum-resistant cryptography into smartphones with the Galaxy S25 series released this month.

LG Electronics joined the IBM Quantum Network in January 2022 and is promoting the development of quantum computer technology based on superconducting qubits. In November last year, LG Electronics signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of neutral atom-based quantum computer technology with the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), quantum standard technology specialist company SDT, and Korea University. Researcher Kim added, "In particular, LG Electronics is developing various types of quantum computers and appears to be seeking potential collaboration opportunities with MS, IBM, and others, centered on the SoC (System on Chip) center, which has secured 600 research and development (R&D) personnel."