Quantum Computing: The AI Boom’s Next Step?
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence technology has been among the most disruptive innovations of the last decade. Though the technology remains in its growth phase, its implications have already been incredibly diverse, and it remains to be seen how the technology will continue to develop over the long term. The sector’s rapid development has many investors and strategists wondering how the sector will continue to expand and where the next big development could be. Could the solution be quantum computing?
Quantum computing is a technology that has been around since the 1980s, but now finds itself with much larger growth potential due to its capability to complement the development of the AI boom. While classical computers process information using bits representing either 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states at once. This allows quantum systems to process certain types of information differently from classical computers and potentially handle much more sophisticated problems. Though the technology has not yet been fully developed, quantum computing has the potential to operate alongside AI by improving processing capabilities and potentially reducing the resources required for certain tasks.
This could become increasingly important as current Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude continue to face limitations. AI models are extremely expensive and complicated to train, placing significant strain on hardware and consuming large amounts of energy. They also continue to struggle with highly complex mathematical, scientific, optimization and simulation problems. Researchers are studying whether quantum computing could complement AI by accelerating certain machine learning processes and solving problems that classical computers struggle to process efficiently. These capabilities could expand the applications of AI in areas such as drug discovery, cybersecurity and other scientific initiatives, making quantum computing a potentially important technology in supporting the next stage of AI development.
Big Tech Players Getting Involved
Several tech industry leaders have initiated big steps into quantum computing. IBM, for example, announced in August 2025 that they would be partnering with AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) to further develop quantum-centric supercomputing systems, which combine quantum applications with heavy duty classical hardware (Investopedia, 2025). They added that this could be a big step in their goal of delivering fault tolerant quantum computing by the end of the decade. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also said in June 2025 that the technology was reaching an “inflection point” (Investopedia, 2025), having originally been skeptical about the realistic timeline of development for functional quantum computers, but has now shifted towards being more optimistic about the timeline stating that fully functional quantum computers could exist in the coming years.
The Risks with the Technology
The technology, however, is not free of risk. Investment in the quantum computing market and its leading firms remains far from a guarantee, as critics argue that the technology still faces major limitations in processing large amounts of data reliably. Quantum computers also remain expensive to operate and continue to struggle with errors, interference, and inconsistent outputs, raising concerns about their accuracy and trustworthiness. While quantum computing may become useful for highly specialized problems that require significant processing power, these structural challenges could limit how effectively the technology can be integrated with AI. For investors, this creates substantial uncertainty around both the timeline and extent to which quantum computing will be able to support the continued growth of the AI industry.
An Investor’s Perspective
The sheer growth potential of the quantum computing sector and its ability to disrupt AI growth forecasts has begun attracting significant attention from investors. Data from Research and Markets shows that the market saw a significant increase in valuation from $3.62 billion in 2025 to an estimated $5.09 billion in 2026, with expectations to reach $16.27 billion by 2030 (Research and Markets, 2026). These forecasts show an impressive CAGR of 33.7% between now and 2030.
Stocks Leading the Charge:
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO): Broadcom develops, manufactures and supplies semiconductor and software infrastructure projects, and has begun implementing quantum processes into its business operations.
YTD Performance (as of October 14): +0.06%
IBM (NYSE: IBM): IBM is a leading global technology and consulting company that develops and sells software applications, hardware infrastructure and AI tools to businesses and governments.
YTD Performance (as of October 14): -22.84%
Keysight Industries (NYSE: KEYS): Keysight Industries develops and provides quantum-based AI emulation and model testing solutions.
YTD Performance (as of October 14): +118.34%
IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ): Seen as the largest pure-play quantum computing security, IonQ develops quantum computing software and technology that compliments its semiconductor and chip component manufacturing operations.
YTD Performance (as of October 14): -59.56%
Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT): Formed by a merger with Honeywell’s Quantum division, Quantinuum develops software products and quantum computing platforms for cybersecurity, quantum chemistry and AI model testing.
YTD Performance (as of October 14): -44.10%
While many skeptics argue that structural flaws will prevent the technology from complementing AI especially in the short run, many investors are intrigued and comforted by recent heavy investment into quantum computing technology by tech leaders like Google, Intel and IBM. It remains a highly speculative and risky opportunity in the short run, but maintains the potential to revolutionize artificial intelligence, science and mathematics applications in a truly innovative way.
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