Quantum technologies operate on the most intricate scale, whether that be sensing tiny phenomena invisible to the human eye or solving the most complex computational problems. IDTechEx's portfolio of Quantum Technologies Research Reports and Subscriptions covers the latest quantum technologies, including sensing and computing.
Emerging quantum sensors
Quantum sensors can provide unmatched sensitivities for detecting phenomena that cannot otherwise be measured with regular sensors or seen with the eye, such as time, motion, gravity, magnetic fields, current, and photons. Atomic clocks, quantum magnetic field sensors, quantum gravimeters, inertial quantum sensors including gyroscopes and accelerometers, quantum RF sensors, and single photon detectors and quantum imaging are some of the quantum sensor types covered in IDTechEx's report, "Quantum Sensors Market 2026-2046: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts". While many quantum sensors are already well established, IDTechEx's report covers sensor types that are still in developmental stages or just entering the market.
IDTechEx's quantum sensor industry roadmap pictures atomic clocks, magnetic field sensors, and single photon detectors as being the technologies of this decade for applications including international atomic time and automotive power management, while in the 2030s and 2040s, technologies such as gyroscopes and quantum imaging are expected to emerge. The markets targeted by quantum sensors are diverse, with future applications predicted to range from biomagnetic imaging, underground mapping, and quantum computing, to telecoms and consumer IoT into the 2040s. IDTechEx forecasts the quantum sensor market to reach US$1.9billion in 2046, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9%, highlighting just how vast this sector is expected to be,
Trends and dominant sensor types
Miniaturization is a mentionable trend across the quantum sensor market, with one main challenge highlighted in the report as being to maintain the performance of sensors while manufacturing at chip-scale. The optimization and balance of factors such as size, weight, power, and cost is also expected to be a growing priority as the sensors see more application opportunities, with the increase in sensitivity from quantum sensors also enabling new applications.
TMR magnetic field sensors are expected to continue to dominate the market, with IDTechEx reporting that over the next twenty years, tens of billions of sensors are expected to be deployed with uses ranging from quantum computing to biomedical imaging. Following this, single photon detectors in quantum communications and computing have also seen high volumes, with atomic clocks for autonomous vehicles predicted to be another large market dominating the sector.
Quantum computing for complex problems
Using quantum bits, or qubits, quantum computers are designed to solve complex problems, that could take a classical computer years to complete, in record time. The value of a quantum computer stems from the number of logical or perfect qubits it has, which are comprised of many individual qubits to eliminate error, with many companies aiming to reach the highest number in order to achieve high success within the industry.
IDTechEx's report, "Quantum Computing Market 2026-2046: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts", shows that some of the primary uses for quantum computing will be for applications such as materials simulations, drug discovery, molecular modelling, physics simulations, and many more. The primary industries with value to be taken from quantum computing are HPC, chemical and pharma, automotive, aerospace, and financial, with quantum computers creating the possibility of solving brand new problems and doing so in unbeatable time.
The four main aspects of a quantum computer blueprint, as outlined by IDTechEx, are qubits, initialization, manipulation, and readout, with each element requiring cost, materials, scalability, and performance considerations in order for a quantum computer to have the potential to be commercialized. IDTechEx's report covers some of the main players competing within the market, with benchmarking across qubit numbers and performance qualities.
For more information on quantum technologies, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Quantum Technologies Research Reports and Subscriptions for the latest trends, forecasts, and developments.
