Engineering the future
A multi-billion dollar market – at the intersection of materials and quantum technology Noah El Alami, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx
Q uantum technologies, which encompass the markets for quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications, constitute currently one of the fastest growing deep-tech industries. However, the performance and commercial viability of these cutting- edge technologies are often held back by material defects, bulky components, or poor manufacturing scalability. The newly released IDTechEx report – Materials for Quantum Technologies 2026-2046: Market, Trends, Players, Forecasts – analyses the opportunities and emerging solutions in materials, components, and fabrication processes for the quantum industry, with 20-year forecasts informed by primary information from more than 30 company profiles. The total market opportunity for superconducting chips, PICs (photonic integrated circuits) and diamond for quantum technologies is anticipated to reach US$3.38 billion by 2036 and US$18.9 billion by 2046 with a total CAGR of 23.1% over the full forecast period. Unlocking quantum advantage through materials The appeal of quantum technologies lies in the promise of commercial ‘quantum advantage’. This advantage can be the computation of classically intractable problems in quantum computing, unlocking magnitudes higher sensitivity with quantum sensors, or creating fundamentally secure cryptographic solutions in quantum communications. Quantum technology has emerged in the last decade from a largely theoretical background to an extensive range of products, business models, and a global distribution of players – from university spinouts to governments and international corporations. In each case, the ability of quantum technologies to exceed the capabilities of their classical incumbents is Total market size: materials for quantum technologies 2026 to 2046.
reliant on advanced materials and fabrication processes. For quantum computing, the microfabrication of 1000s of identical ‘qubits’ per chip is essential to unlocking scalable computing systems that can reach the capacity to tackle commercially relevant problems. For quantum sensing, using materials that allow for reductions in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) per device is crucial to improving the commercial viability of products, allowing quantum sensors to enter new high- volume markets such as future mobility, healthcare, and aerospace. For quantum communications, materials that allow for the low-loss transmission of quantum information over long distances are valuable for enterprise-scale quantum networks and cryptography solutions. Three quantum markets, three key material platforms In commercial and government strategies, and in IDTechEx’s portfolio of reports on quantum technologies, the market is usually categorised by the three core product verticals: quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications. For a materials provider, it may instead be more informative to categorise quantum technologies by the physical ‘platform’ or quantum system on which they are built. The three most important materials platforms for quantum technologies highlighted in the Materials for Quantum Technologies report are superconducting chips, photonic systems (including PICs), and nanomaterials (including a range of nanocarbons and artificial diamond). Superconducting chips are microfabricated electrical circuits made of superconducting metals or compounds
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30 Electricity + Control FEBRUARY 2026
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