OECD Quantum Ecosystem 2025: Patents, Investment & Global Competition Analysis

Understanding the OECD Quantum Ecosystem Report

Published in December 2025 by the OECD in collaboration with the European Patent Office (EPO), the report “Mapping the Global Quantum Ecosystem” represents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis of the quantum technology landscape ever produced. Released to coincide with the United Nations’ designation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, this landmark study covers innovation metrics, firm activity, investment flows, workforce skills, international trade, and government policies across the entire quantum ecosystem.

The report draws on patent data, firm registrations, venture capital records, job postings, trade statistics, and policy documents to create a holistic view of the quantum ecosystem’s health and trajectory. Unlike narrower industry reports that focus on individual aspects of quantum technology, the OECD quantum ecosystem analysis connects the dots between innovation (patents), commercialization (firms and investment), talent (skills and workforce), infrastructure (trade and supply chains), and governance (national strategies).

For policymakers, investors, and technology leaders, this report provides essential intelligence for strategic decision-making. Whether evaluating where to invest, which partnerships to pursue, or how to structure national quantum programs, the data and analysis in this report offer an evidence base that transcends anecdotal industry narratives. The findings complement emerging analyses of technology trends and provide specific quantum-focused strategic guidance.

Quantum Patent Landscape: Sevenfold Growth and 20% CAGR

The most striking finding in the OECD quantum ecosystem report concerns patent activity. Total international patent families (IPFs) in quantum technologies increased sevenfold from 2005 to 2024. Since 2014, quantum IPFs have expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% — ten times the 2% CAGR observed across all technology domains during the same period. This differential growth rate signals that quantum technologies are capturing an increasing share of global innovation activity.

The internationalization rate of quantum patents — the share filed in multiple jurisdictions — stands at 31.2%, compared to 12.0% for all patent domains. This disparity indicates exceptionally high strategic importance: organizations are willing to invest significantly more in protecting quantum inventions across multiple markets, reflecting expectations of substantial commercial value and competitive implications.

The science-driven nature of quantum innovation is visible in patent citation patterns. Quantum patents cite non-patent literature (scientific papers) at substantially higher rates than most other technology fields, confirming the deep connection between fundamental research and quantum innovation. This linkage has important policy implications: investments in basic quantum science research translate more directly into commercial innovation than in many other technology domains, supporting continued public R&D funding alongside private sector technology investment.

Quantum Computing vs Communication vs Sensing: Technology Area Dynamics

The OECD quantum ecosystem report reveals dramatic differences in growth trajectories across quantum technology areas. Quantum computing has been the most dynamic area over the past decade, with a nearly 20-fold expansion in patent activity since 2014. This explosion reflects massive investment from technology giants (IBM, Google, Microsoft) and a growing startup ecosystem focused on quantum hardware, software, and applications.

Quantum communication — including quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum networking — had been the leader in yearly patent filings until 2022, driven largely by Chinese research institutions and firms pursuing secure communication infrastructure. However, quantum computing overtook communication in 2022-2024, reflecting a shift in innovation focus toward computation-intensive applications across diverse industry sectors.

Quantum sensing — technologies for ultra-precise measurement using quantum properties — grew more modestly at approximately 50% since 2014. While sensing applications (atomic clocks, magnetometers, gravitational sensors) are closer to commercial deployment than many quantum computing applications, the patent activity suggests that innovation investment is concentrated in the computing and communication segments where potential market opportunities are perceived to be larger.

Ecosystem Anatomy: 4,622 Organizations Building the Quantum Future

The OECD quantum ecosystem report identifies 4,622 organizations active in quantum technologies globally. Of these, 830 are classified as “core” quantum companies — firms whose primary focus is quantum technology development, including hardware manufacturers, quantum software providers, and quantum-native service companies. The remaining 3,792 organizations are “non-core” participants: large established technology companies, public research organizations (PROs), and universities that engage in quantum research alongside their broader activities.

A crucial finding is that non-core organizations account for more than 80% of the ecosystem’s output — producing the majority of quantum-related patents and job postings. This means that the quantum ecosystem’s health depends not just on dedicated quantum startups but on the quantum activities of established players like IBM, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, and major research universities. The dominance of non-core participants reflects quantum technology’s current stage: still largely in the R&D phase, where organizations with existing research infrastructure and diverse revenue streams can sustain the long-term investments required.

The composition of the ecosystem has important strategic implications. For policymakers, it suggests that quantum policies must address both startup support and incentives for established organizations to maintain and expand quantum R&D. For investors, it highlights the importance of evaluating quantum startups not in isolation but in the context of the broader ecosystem’s competitive dynamics, where large incumbents possess significant advantages in talent, infrastructure, and staying power through the development cycle aligned with global industry trends.

Geographic Competition in the Quantum Ecosystem: US Dominance Shifting

The United States leads the global quantum ecosystem across most metrics — patents, firm entries, and investment volume. However, the OECD quantum ecosystem report documents a significant and ongoing shift. The US share of quantum patenting declined from 41% (2015-2019) to 31% (2020-2024), indicating that other countries are accelerating their quantum innovation activities faster than the US.

In terms of revealed technological advantage (RTA) — a measure of relative specialization in quantum patents — Canada leads globally, followed by the UK, Finland, the United States, France, and the Netherlands. Canada’s leadership in RTA reflects the country’s concentration of quantum research institutions (particularly the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing) and supporting policy infrastructure, despite Canada’s smaller absolute patent output compared to the US.

Other significant players include China (particularly strong in quantum communication), Germany (leveraging its engineering and physics research base), Japan (with established quantum computing programs), and South Korea. The geographic diversification of quantum innovation creates both competition and collaboration dynamics that policymakers must navigate carefully — balancing national competitiveness with the international collaboration needed to advance fundamental research, a theme explored in technology governance frameworks.

Quantum Investment Patterns: Funding Concentration and Deal Dynamics

The investment analysis in the OECD quantum ecosystem report reveals a striking geographic concentration: approximately 60% of total recorded quantum funding went to US-based companies. This proportion is disproportionately higher than the US share of quantum patents (~31%) or quantum startups (~30%), suggesting that US quantum companies attract significantly larger average investments than their counterparts elsewhere.

The US accounts for approximately 30% of total investment deals, meaning that while US companies participate in fewer rounds proportionally, each round is substantially larger. This pattern reflects the maturity and depth of the US venture capital ecosystem, the presence of large corporate investors (Google Ventures, Microsoft M12, Amazon), and the relatively advanced stage of several US quantum startups that have progressed to later funding rounds.

Beyond venture capital, the report documents growing corporate venture capital (CVC) activity and M&A transactions in the quantum space, signaling that established technology companies are not just investing internally but actively acquiring quantum capabilities through external deals. For quantum entrepreneurs and investors, these patterns suggest that the competitive landscape is increasingly shaped by the strategic moves of large technology corporations, not just the innovation activities of pure-play quantum startups. The investment dynamics mirror broader patterns in deep technology investment.

The Quantum Workforce: PhD-Driven Ecosystem and Skills Demand

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the quantum ecosystem is its extraordinary dependence on highly educated talent. The OECD quantum ecosystem report finds that over 50% of core quantum firm founders hold PhDs — based on a sample of 657 out of 1,208 identified founders with education data. This is approximately five times the PhD rate among founders of general technology firms (around 10%), underscoring the deep scientific expertise required to build quantum companies.

Analysis of online job postings across Canada, the UK, and the US reveals the specific skills in demand. Computer science occupations account for 26% of quantum-related vacancies, reflecting the growing importance of quantum software, algorithms, and systems engineering. Science and research roles represent 25%, consistent with the R&D-intensive nature of the field. Education and training positions account for 10%, indicating investment in quantum workforce development. Notably, commercial roles (business management, marketing, sales) represent less than 10% of quantum job postings — confirming that the ecosystem remains focused on technology development rather than commercialization.

The workforce data reveals a significant vulnerability: quantum technologies require talent at the intersection of quantum physics, computer science, and engineering — a combination that traditional education systems rarely produce. The report notes that job postings peaked in late 2022, potentially indicating that the industry’s rapid growth is beginning to strain available talent pools, an issue that connects to broader workforce transformation challenges across deep technology sectors.

Quantum Trade Dependencies and Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

The OECD quantum ecosystem report provides preliminary but important evidence on trade flows related to quantum-relevant equipment, goods, and raw materials. The analysis identifies specific Harmonized System (HS) codes for components critical to quantum hardware — from cryogenic equipment and precision laser systems to specialized semiconductors and rare earth elements.

A key finding is that “rising dependence on a few strategic suppliers is adding to systemic vulnerabilities” in the quantum supply chain. Unlike mature technology sectors where supply chains are diversified and resilient, the quantum ecosystem depends on specialized components from a small number of manufacturers and raw material suppliers. Disruption to any of these supply nodes — whether from geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, or trade restrictions — could significantly impair quantum R&D and commercialization across multiple countries.

The supply chain analysis has direct implications for national quantum strategies. Countries pursuing quantum technology leadership must consider not just R&D investment and talent development but also supply chain resilience — ensuring access to the specialized equipment and materials needed to build and operate quantum systems. This may require industrial policy interventions, strategic stockpiling, or bilateral trade agreements specifically addressing quantum-relevant goods, complementing the broader technology infrastructure considerations that underpin competitive advantage.

National Quantum Strategies: 30+ Countries Competing for Quantum Leadership

The policy landscape documented in the OECD quantum ecosystem report reveals intense international competition. Over 30 countries have established tailored policies supporting quantum technology development, and 18 OECD member countries maintain comprehensive national quantum strategies — coordinated, multi-year programs that set priorities, allocate funding, and establish governance mechanisms for quantum R&D and commercialization.

The report identifies a critical gap in current policy approaches: most national quantum strategies focus primarily on R&D funding, with comparatively little attention to the later stages of the innovation pipeline — technology transfer, commercialization, market development, standards setting, and supply chain resilience. This R&D-centric policy mix reflects the field’s current development stage but risks creating a “valley of death” where promising quantum research fails to translate into commercial products and economic value.

The report recommends that future quantum policies expand beyond R&D to address industry scale-up, workforce development, regulatory frameworks, supply chain security, and international collaboration. Effective quantum strategies must balance competition (protecting national advantages) with cooperation (advancing fundamental science and establishing interoperability standards). The policy recommendations align with emerging frameworks for OECD technology governance and echo themes from related technology policy analyses available through the EPO quantum technology platform.

What the Quantum Ecosystem Report Means for Business, Research & Policy

The OECD quantum ecosystem report delivers several strategic implications that cut across stakeholder groups. For technology companies and investors, the data confirms that quantum technologies are transitioning from pure research to early commercialization. The 20% patent CAGR, growing firm entries, and increasing investment volumes all signal a maturing ecosystem with expanding opportunities — but the dominance of non-core organizations and the R&D focus of job postings suggest that commercial returns remain predominantly in the future.

For policymakers, the report provides a evidence-based framework for evaluating and improving national quantum strategies. The declining US patent share shows that leadership is contestable — no country has a permanent advantage, and sustained investment is required to maintain competitive positions. The supply chain vulnerability findings add urgency to diversification and resilience planning, while the workforce data highlights the need for education system reforms that produce quantum-ready talent at scale.

Strategic Recommendations

• For Investors: Focus on hybrid quantum-classical solutions with near-term commercial viability while maintaining exposure to longer-term hardware plays. Monitor geographic diversification as investment opportunities expand beyond the US.
• For Researchers: Leverage the EPO’s Deep Tech Finder quantum filter for patent landscape intelligence. The high NPL citation rates confirm that publishing fundamental research remains a pathway to commercial impact.
• For Policymakers: Expand quantum strategies beyond R&D to address commercialization, workforce, supply chain, and international cooperation. The 30+ national strategies create a competitive dynamic where execution quality — not just funding levels — determines outcomes.

The OECD quantum ecosystem report marks 2025 as a pivotal year for quantum technologies — one where the ecosystem’s rapid growth demands strategic responses from all participants. Understanding these dynamics is essential for technology planning across every sector that quantum technologies will eventually transform.