Insider Brief
- Corporate research in quantum computing exceeds non-corporate efforts and delivers higher scientific impact on key areas like quantum algorithms, machine learning applications and optimization techniques, according to a forthcoming study that analyzed nearly 30,000 research papers.
- The study challenges the idea that firms avoid publishing due to knowledge spillovers, showing instead that companies leverage unique resources, like proprietary quantum machines, to produce impactful research while gaining strategic advantages, such as enhanced reputation and talent acquisition.
- Policymakers and corporate strategists are encouraged to foster collaboration between academia and industry, with recommendations including shared access to quantum resources, public-private partnerships, and strategic publication practices to accelerate innovation and solidify leadership in this transformative technology.
Corporate research is reshaping the quantum computing landscape, outpacing non-corporate efforts in both scientific impact and focus on high-interest areas like machine learning and algorithm development.
A forthcoming study in Technological Forecasting and Social Change analyzed nearly 30,000 quantum computing research papers, finding that corporate contributions are increasingly pivotal to the field’s advancement. Corporate-authored papers not only garnered higher citation rates but also concentrated on topics drawing significant scholarly attention, according to Hyunmin Ko and Seokbeom Kwon, both of Sungkyunkwan University, Korea.
These findings counter the long-held view that weak appropriability — where knowledge spillovers dilute the benefits of research investments — discourages firms from publishing their scientific work. Instead, the study argues that companies leverage unique and hard-to-imitate resources to produce impactful research while preserving strategic advantages.
The researchers write: “Firms are incentivized to publish this novel research because doing so allows them to gain various strategic benefits. This does not necessarily compromise appropriability, as these resources also function as specialized complementary assets; controlling access to them helps protect appropriability.”
This trend signals a shift in the role of corporate science in innovation systems, particularly in emerging technologies like quantum computing, according to the researchers.
A Measured Shift Toward Corporate Prominence
The researchers report that between 2011 and 2020, corporate research papers on quantum computing represented a smaller share of total publications but demonstrated outsized impact. Papers authored by researchers affiliated with firms were cited more frequently than those by universities or national labs. The higher citation counts reflect the relevance of corporate research in advancing the field’s understanding of quantum algorithms and applications for machine learning — areas critical to solving complex optimization problems and scaling artificial intelligence models.
Topic modeling of paper abstracts revealed that corporate research is tightly clustered around key topics, contrasting with the broader and more dispersed focus of non-corporate studies. The researchers pointed out that the key topics for corporate research include quantum algorithms, machine learning applications, optimization techniques and practical implementations of quantum systems.
The study also discusses the role of corporate resources as important quantum enablers. Quantum computers, often requiring specialized hardware like cryogenic systems to maintain qubit stability, represent a significant investment. Firms such as IBM, Google, and Microsoft have built proprietary quantum machines that allow their researchers to push the boundaries of quantum computing applications. These machines, largely inaccessible to academic researchers, provide firms with a platform to develop and test quantum algorithms at a scale unattainable in most university labs.
Corporate researchers, with access to specialized quantum machines and complementary technologies, are therefore able to conduct targeted experiments and iterate rapidly on new ideas, the authors suggest.
Implications for Policy and Strategy
The study offers several paths and strategies for policymakers. The findings suggest, for instance, a need to rethink the balance between supporting academic and corporate research. Historically, public funding for basic science has prioritized universities and research institutions, which have been viewed as the primary engines of scientific discovery. However, the study underscores the importance of corporate contributions in fields where access to complementary assets, such as quantum machines, is critical to impactful research.
“Given its science-driven nature, science policymakers worldwide are considering various institutional measures to support research and educational programs in universities or research institutes, accounting for their traditional importance as centers of basic science,” the researchers suggest. “However, our research suggests that policymakers need to recognize firms as major contributors to advancing the quantum computing research field, as they actively generate and disseminate impactful knowledge in this area. This implies that building institutional measures to leverage the significance of corporate research could be particularly useful for accelerating scientific advancement in this field, for example, by supporting or subsidizing academic scientists in their utilization of firms’ quantum computing resources through collaboration with corporate researchers, considering the importance of access to operational quantum computing machines and complementary resources.”
Bridging the resource gap between universities and firms could help accelerate innovation across the quantum computing ecosystem, the researchers suggest.
The work may also be valuable for corporate strategists, specifically because publishing research has traditionally been viewed as risky for firms due to potential knowledge spillovers. However, the study identifies strategic benefits that outweigh these risks. By sharing scientific findings, firms enhance their reputations, attract top-tier talent, and signal technological leadership to investors and collaborators. Moreover, publishing can serve as a defensive intellectual property strategy, preventing competitors from patenting similar innovations.
Methodology
The study analyzed metadata from Clarivate’s Web of Science database, focusing on research papers published over a decade. Corporate papers were identified based on the affiliations of corresponding authors, and citation impact was measured using normalized metrics to account for variations over time. The study also examined keyword trends to evaluate research focus and scholarly attention.
The results showed that corporate research papers were more likely to be cited and associated with keywords reflecting future trends in quantum computing. For example, corporate authors frequently published on quantum algorithms tailored for machine learning, an area that has seen rapid growth due to the convergence of quantum computing and artificial intelligence. In contrast, non-corporate research explored a wider array of topics without the same degree of concentration or strategic focus.
Theoretically, the study places corporate research within the broader framework of the Resource-Based View (RBV), which proposes that firms gain competitive advantages by controlling valuable, rare and hard-to-imitate resources. In quantum computing, these resources include not only quantum machines but also the expertise and organizational capabilities to deploy them effectively.
By publishing their findings, firms gain strategic advantages without necessarily compromising appropriability. Shared research builds goodwill within the scientific community, strengthens industry standards, and positions companies as leaders in the quantum ecosystem. These benefits align with the broader trend of firms leveraging publication strategies in other high-tech fields, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Limitations and Areas for Further Research
While the study provides robust evidence of corporate research’s growing prominence, the researchers acknowledge limitations that could inspire future research. The analysis relied on academic publications, which may not fully capture corporate contributions disseminated through patents, technical reports, or proprietary developments. Future research could explore how these alternative outputs shape the quantum computing landscape.
Additionally, the focus on quantum computing raises questions about whether similar trends exist in other science-driven fields. Expanding this analysis to areas like biotechnology or renewable energy could offer a broader understanding of corporate science’s role in driving innovation, for example.
The study also highlighted disparities in resource access. University researchers, despite their creativity and expertise, often lack the infrastructure to build or maintain large-scale quantum machines. This limitation underscores the need for shared facilities or public-private partnerships to democratize access to these critical resources.
A Roadmap for the Future
As quantum computing matures, this researchers conclude by pointing out that the interplay between corporate and non-corporate research may indeed determine the pace of progress. Policymakers must craft frameworks that recognize the complementary strengths of academia and industry, while firms should continue to explore ways to balance openness with competitiveness.
For corporate strategists, the study offers a roadmap: focus on acquiring and leveraging unique resources, invest in targeted research areas, and use publications strategically to enhance reputation and influence. For governments, the findings point to the importance of fostering an ecosystem that includes corporate players as integral contributors to scientific advancement.
