Highlights
- Quantum technologies carry transformative potential across many critical fields, including cryptography/security, energy, materials science, artificial intelligence, healthcare, logistics, finance, communication, and defense.
- NATO views quantum as a critical technology for enhancing warfighting capabilities; however, it underlines that there is no unified view on its impact and that some experts consider it overhyped.
- 2024 ecosystem: ~367 startups, a projected market of ~173 billion dollars by 2040, ~42 billion dollars in announced public investment.
- The talent gap in quantum technology is critical; upskilling experts from adjacent disciplines is the prominent intervention for closing this gap.
- By decision of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, the establishment of the Türkiye Quantum Technologies Development Center has been announced.
Quantum technologies are opening the door to a new technological era by harnessing the behavior of subatomic particles, going beyond the limits of classical physics. Phenomena such as superposition and entanglement carry transformative potential across many critical fields — most notably quantum computing, quantum encryption, and quantum communication, as well as chemistry, drug development, materials science, finance, logistics, and defense. Drawing on NATO and McKinsey sources, this report addresses the technology's fundamental principles, its sectoral areas of impact, and the current state of the ecosystem within a broad framework. The way quantum computers solve complex problems by narrowing the range of possible answers — in contrast to classical computers that produce a single definite answer — explains why the technology has such a wide field of application. That said, it should be noted that there is no unified view among experts regarding the impact of quantum technology, and that some assessments hold that it is overhyped. On the ecosystem side, a structure stands out that, as of 2024, comprises roughly 367 startups, is projected to reach a market size of 173 billion dollars by 2040, and for which the announced total of public investment exceeds 42 billion dollars; however, the shortage of qualified human capital is regarded as one of the field's fundamental constraints. At the strategic level, the establishment of the Türkiye Quantum Technologies Development Center by decision of the Defense Industry Executive Committee has been announced as a critical step for developing the domestic ecosystem and human capital.