McKinsey: Quantum Computing Could Add $2.7T by 2035

TL;DR: McKinsey & Company says quantum computing could generate between $1.3 trillion and $2.7 trillion in economic value worldwide by 2035, but that businesses need to invest in talent, technology and partnerships now to secure an early advantage, according to ANI via Devdiscourse. The report also found that more than 300 organisations are already working with quantum technology providers.

The range is wide. The high case is roughly double the low case, and that spread tells you how much of this rests on assumption rather than measurement.

What did McKinsey actually report?

The report puts numbers on three different things, and they are easy to blur together. Economic value is what industries might gain from using quantum tools. Market size is what quantum hardware, software and services might sell for. Company revenue is what quantum companies book today.

Measure	McKinsey figure	Timing
Economic value created worldwide	$1.3T to $2.7T	By 2035
Quantum computing hardware, software and services market	$60B to $100B	By 2035
Quantum communication market	$11B to $15B	By 2035
Quantum sensing market	$7B to $10B	By 2035
Combined quantum computing company revenue	Above $1B in 2025, up to $4.4B	2025, and by 2028
Equity investment in quantum technology	$2.5B in 2024, $13.3B in 2025	2024 to 2025

The figures come from ANI's report as carried by BW Businessworld. AIN worked from that account, not from the McKinsey document itself, so treat them as secondhand. The $2.7 trillion headline is value spread across customers such as drugmakers and chemical producers. The market quantum companies could sell into is $60 billion to $100 billion, and that smaller pool is where their revenue comes from.

Which industries get the biggest share?

The pharmaceutical industry could gain up to $400 billion from quantum computing by 2035, and the chemicals industry as much as $800 billion, per the same ANI report. Cybersecurity and robotics were also named as areas with significant potential.

Those industries would capture most of the benefit. An investor buying a quantum hardware company is not buying a claim on drug discovery savings. That value would mostly land with the buyers of the technology.

Is the timeline as near as the headline suggests?

Not as near, on AIN's reading. McKinsey outlined a path from early commercial adoption, to competitive positions being set by 2035, to a wider quantum-enabled economy by 2040, according to ANI via Devdiscourse. The 2035 number sits partway along that path, not at the end of it. The report doesn't say the headline misleads; that conclusion is ours.

A forecast like McKinsey's tells you where the path leads. It doesn't tell you how fast any one company gets there.

A Technology Journal report on an Economist Impact webinar describes consultants reporting measurable gains on narrow problems while declining to call them a quantum advantage. In plain terms, there are real pilots and no broad payoff yet. AIN's piece on quantum AI startup angel funding and valuation covers what that means for pricing early rounds.

What should an accredited investor do with this?

Treat the report as a map of where corporate budgets might go, not as a return estimate. The report also warned that companies delaying investment risk losing access to the partnerships, talent and intellectual property needed to compete. That is advice to corporate buyers, and it says nothing about whether any private quantum round is fairly priced.

If you're looking at a private quantum deal, the questions are the usual ones. Who pays the company today? How long can it fund itself before the commercial window opens?

Common mistakes

Reading $2.7 trillion as a market that quantum companies will sell is the usual slip. It's value created across industries, and most of it flows to customers.

Anchoring on the top of a range deserves a second look too, since the report's low case is about half the high one.

Investment tallies, market-size estimates and revenue counts use different definitions. Mixing them across reports rarely works.

FAQ

Is quantum computing a threat to XRP?

The report flagged a potential threat to public-key encryption, which protects sensitive information, per BW Businessworld. It doesn't name XRP or any crypto asset. That the same risk could reach crypto systems built on public-key encryption is AIN's inference, not the report's finding.

Is the $2.7 trillion a forecast of quantum company revenue?

No. It's economic value across industries. The same report puts the quantum computing hardware, software and services market at $60 billion to $100 billion by 2035, per BW Businessworld.

How soon could a private quantum investment pay off?

McKinsey places competitive positions at 2035 and a wider quantum-enabled economy at 2040, per ANI via Devdiscourse. AIN's read is that an investor should plan for a long, illiquid hold.

One thing to do today

Open any private quantum pitch you've received and find the market-size slide. Check whether it cites value created across industries or revenue the company can actually book, then ask the sponsor which one it is. If you'd like this kind of reading each week, subscribe to the free AIN briefing.

Educational content only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice. Not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Private-market investments are illiquid and involve risk of loss, including total loss of capital. Consult qualified advisers. Angel Investors Network is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser.