Against the backdrop of intensified global competition in quantum information, the synergistic effectiveness of quality infrastructure, as a basic system supporting industrial innovation, is directly related to the industrialization process of quantum technology. At present, subdivided industries such as quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum precision measurement have begun to take shape, and key technologies and core products have entered a critical period of transition from scientific and technological innovation results to industrialization, and the demand for quality infrastructure is becoming increasingly prominent. This study explores the co-evolution mechanism of quality infrastructure driven by industrial innovation and analyzes the coupling effect of quality infrastructure on industrial innovation. Identified targeted issues in the quality infrastructure construction of quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum precision measurement through the survey. It proposes targeted pathways for the collaborative innovation of quality infrastructure and industry from multiple dimensions, including standard leadership, inspection and certification assurance, metrological support, and collaborative problem-solving models.
Against the backdrop of intensified global competition in quantum information, the synergistic effectiveness of quality infrastructure, as a basic system supporting industrial innovation, is directly related to the industrialization process of quantum technology. At present, subdivided industries such as quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum precision measurement have begun to take shape, and key technologies and core products have entered a critical period of transition from scientific and technological innovation results to industrialization, and the demand for quality infrastructure is becoming increasingly prominent. This study explores the co-evolution mechanism of quality infrastructure driven by industrial innovation and analyzes the coupling effect of quality infrastructure on industrial innovation. Identified targeted issues in the quality infrastructure construction of quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum precision measurement through the survey. It proposes targeted pathways for the collaborative innovation of quality infrastructure and industry from multiple dimensions, including standard leadership, inspection and certification assurance, metrological support, and collaborative problem-solving models.
Quantum computing is a vital research field in science and technology. One of the fundamental questions hardly known is how quantum computing research is developing to support scientific advances and the evolution of path-breaking technologies for economic, industrial, and social change. This study confronts the question here by applying methods of computational scientometrics for publication analyses to explain the structure and evolution of quantum computing research and technologies over a 30-year period. Results reveal that the evolution of quantum computing from 1990 to 2020 has a considerable average increase of connectivity in the network (growth of degree centrality measure), a moderate increase of the average influence of nodes on the flow between nodes (little growth of betweenness centrality measure), and a little reduction of the easiest access of each node to all other nodes (closeness centrality measure). This evolutionary dynamics is due to the increase in size and complexity of the network in quantum computing research over time. This study also suggests that the network of quantum computing has a transition from hardware to software research that supports accelerated evolution of technological pathways in quantum image processing, quantum machine learning, and quantum sensors. Theoretical implications of this study show the morphological evolution of the network in quantum computing from a symmetric to an asymmetric shape driven by new inter-related research fields and emerging technological trajectories. Findings here suggest best practices of innovation management based on R&D investments in new technological directions of quantum computing having a high potential for growth and impact in science and markets.
Quantum technologies are increasingly recognized as a disruptive frontier that will shape the next generation of industrial strategies. Developments in quantum computing, communication, and sensing promise not only technical breakthroughs but also significant economic and geopolitical consequences. Quantum computing can accelerate drug discovery, materials research, and complex optimization, while quantum communication opens new possibilities for secure data transfer beyond the reach of classical encryption. According to European Commission Reports and National Quantum Initiative Act, leading economies are already investing heavily: the European Union has committed over €1 billion to its Quantum Flagship program, while the United States launched the National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018 to coordinate research and industrial applications. These initiatives underscore the strategic nature of the field. For industrial policy, they also raise important questions: How should governments design roadmaps that foster public–private collaboration? What forms of regulation or incentives are needed to align innovation with competitiveness and security? At the same time, quantum technologies could support sustainability goals, for example through energy-efficient algorithms and advanced climate modeling. Positioning quantum technologies not only as an enabler but as a driver of future industrial policy is essential. Unlike incremental innovations, quantum breakthroughs will actively shape the direction of national strategies, global competitiveness, and sustainability agendas. Recognizing this driver role ensures that policymakers and industries move beyond adaptation, taking a proactive stance in designing resilient and forward-looking industrial ecosystems.
Abstract - Quantum computing has evolved from a physics-driven theoretical concept into a rapidly expanding technological ecosystem encompassing computation, communication, sensing, and security. This paper presents a timeline-based analytical study of this evolution, examining how successive scientific and technological eras shaped the transition from foundational quantum theory to modern noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) platforms and distributed quantum infrastructures. Rather than offering a purely chronological account, the study evaluates each phase using comparative metrics such as scientific maturity, technological capability, scalability, error resilience, application readiness, and interdisciplinary integration. Beyond technical progress, the paper highlights the growing role of academic institutions in developing foundational methods and workforce capacity, alongside industrial efforts in hardware engineering, cloud-based access, and commercialization. These developments are further reinforced by large-scale public investments through national quantum missions and regional innovation programs, positioning quantum technologies as strategic components of future digital infrastructure. By integrating historical evolution with ecosystem and policy perspectives, this work aims to clarify how scientific constraints, engineering challenges, and institutional drivers collectively shape the current trajectory and future direction of quantum technologies. Key Words: quantum, timeline, global impact, hybrid, evolution
Advances in quantum mechanics have long underpinned metrology by enabling practical realizations of units through quantum effects. With the 2019 SI revision, traceability is anchored in defined fundamental constants, reinforcing the quantum-mechanical basis of modern standards. In parallel, quantum technologies are transitioning from laboratory science to engineering and early industrial deployment, bringing familiar pressures for integration, reliability, cost reduction, supply-chain formation, and standardization. The direction of benefit is thus reversing: metrology and precision measurement are becoming enabling infrastructure for the industrialization of quantum technologies. Against this backdrop, this paper surveys the metrology and precision-measurement capabilities required across representative quantum-computing modalities and identifies where electrical and related metrology can contribute to the development, characterization, and reliable operation of quantum hardware. We then discuss cross-cutting measurement needs and standardization opportunities that recur across platforms, and note how similar frameworks can extend to emerging quantum-sensing applications.
This study develops a technology analysis to detect technological trajectories in quantum computing that can lay the foundation of a quantum industry. Study design considers data of 10,089 scientific products in ‘quantum computing’ over 1989–2020 period and 19,266 scientific products in ‘quantum computer’ over 1967–2020 period to cover all scientific production in this research field; a complementary analysis considers 8,505 patents over 1977–2020 in ‘quantum computing’ and 9,792 patents in ‘quantum computer’ over 1985–2020 period. Models of technological evolution applied here show main technological trajectories in quantum computing and computer and their rates of growth that suggest path-breaking directions in quantum technology, such as quantum optics, quantum information, quantum algorithms, quantum entanglement, quantum communication and quantum cryptography. Findings here provide information to extend the knowledge in the evolution of quantum computing and computers to support the management of these new technologies and R&D investments towards innovations generating industrial, economic and social change.