JLL: Quantum Computing Is Already Creating a New Real Estate Market - finchannel

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Quantum computing is moving from research laboratories toward commercial deployment, creating demand for specialized facilities, data centers and high-performance computing infrastructure, according to a new report from JLL. The report, “The Future of Quantum Real Estate: Transitioning From Theory to Deployment,” by Andrew Batson and Daniel Thorpe, identifies more than 240 quantum facilities across 35 countries and nine distinct facility types. JLL’s central finding is that quantum computing is already a real estate issue, even though much of the industry is still catching up with the technology. Quantum infrastructure is developing in ecosystems where universities, private companies and governments have created concentrations of talent, research and investment. Most existing facilities are relatively small, typically below 150,000 square feet, and are owned by universities or government agencies. But that pattern is beginning to change as commercial data centers, high-performance computing facilities and privately developed sites become more important to the industry.

Quantum Infrastructure Is Expanding JLL defines quantum real estate as the physical infrastructure required to research, fabricate and deploy quantum computing systems. The firm has identified more than 240 facilities worldwide, spanning nine facility types and 35 countries. Many of those facilities are located on or around university campuses, where they can draw on concentrated pools of specialized talent. Universities and government agencies currently account for much of the ownership, while facilities commonly accommodate academic, government and enterprise users through formal partnerships. The market is nevertheless shifting. Commercial data center and HPC deployments are accelerating, while privately developed facilities are emerging through both adaptive reuse and purpose-built construction. These sites are being developed for research and development, fabrication and cloud-based quantum services. That creates two distinct channels for future quantum infrastructure: dedicated, on-premise systems and quantum computing accessed through the cloud. Governments and enterprises with strict data-sovereignty and security requirements are expected to invest in dedicated installations. Cloud-based quantum services, meanwhile, will drive deployments within existing and new data center and HPC infrastructure. JLL expects both models to generate growing real estate demand. U.S. and China Account for More Than Half of Global Funding Quantum investment remains highly concentrated geographically.

The United States and China together account for more than half of global quantum funding, according to JLL. The firm compares the competition to the U.S.-China race in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, where technological leadership also carries strategic importance. Government funding remains the dominant source globally. Governments account for 70% of tracked quantum funding, reflecting the extent to which countries are treating quantum technology as a strategic national capability.

The United States differs from that global pattern. JLL says private capital has recently become the primary driver of U.S. quantum investment, reflecting investor conviction in the technology. The distinction between government and private financing also has direct implications for real estate. Government-backed projects generally follow public-sector siting procedures and timelines. Private investors can have more direct influence over where facilities are located, how quickly they are developed and who ultimately owns them.

Quantum Investment Reached $9.3 Billion in 2025 Investment accelerated sharply in 2025. Private and public capital invested in quantum companies reached $9.3 billion in 2025, more than five times the total recorded in 2024, according to JLL. Venture financing accounted for a substantial portion of the increase, but public markets were the most notable source of new capital. Quantum companies raised $5.5 billion through IPOs in 2025, roughly nine times the amount raised in 2024. Much of that capital came from companies that were already publicly listed. IonQ alone raised more than $2 billion through two secondary offerings, while D-Wave and Rigetti also completed sizable capital raises. The public-market picture changed again in 2026 as a group of private quantum companies moved toward public markets. JLL identifies Quantinuum, which raised $1.7 billion, and IQM among the companies leading the new wave. Earlier in the year, Infleqtion raised $550 million and Xanadu raised $500 million. Two additional transactions were pending: Terra Quantum, with a $3.5 billion deal, and Pasqal, with a $2 billion deal. The result, according to JLL, is a shift in the role of public markets: rather than primarily financing established publicly traded quantum companies, public markets are increasingly bringing a new generation of private quantum companies into the public market.

Quantum Computing Is Expected to Reinforce Data Center Demand JLL does not view quantum computing as a replacement for conventional computing infrastructure. Instead, quantum systems are expected to operate alongside classical computing as a specialized, high-value layer of computing within the broader digital infrastructure stack. Quantum systems are already being deployed inside data centers, and JLL expects significant scaling over the next several years. That makes quantum computing an additional component of the data center investment story rather than a disruption to it. RelatedPosts Trump Administration Paid $9.5 Billion in Federal Administrative Leave in 2025, GAO Finds AI Jobs: Which American Workers Are Most at Risk as AI Reshapes Employment? Real-Time Financial Data Is Becoming Core Business Infrastructure Ukraine’s Drone Strikes Hit Russia’s Oil Industry as Trump Calls for an End to Attacks Cloud-based quantum computing will require access to data centers and HPC infrastructure, allowing organizations to use quantum capabilities without building and operating their own systems. See also Third Russia-linked LNG tanker heads to Fayard after carrying Russian LNG worth €1.9bnFor governments and enterprises that require greater control over data and systems, however, on-premise quantum installations are expected to remain important. Sovereignty and Cost Will Shape the Market JLL expects government demand to remain the largest component of the quantum market over the next decade. National security considerations, data sovereignty requirements and large government investment programs are expected to lead governments to procure and operate quantum systems directly on their own premises. Cloud-based quantum services are expected to provide the lowest-barrier path to quantum computing for most organizations entering the 2030s. Those services will primarily be delivered through data centers and HPC infrastructure, creating another source of demand for specialized digital infrastructure.

Talent May Matter More Than Land or Power For real estate investors, JLL identifies talent as a central factor in determining where quantum facilities will develop. The report says there is currently one qualified candidate for every three open quantum roles. That imbalance means access to specialized workers, rather than simply access to land or electricity, is expected to become a decisive consideration in site selection. JLL says investors developing facilities near existing talent pools, particularly universities, will have a structural advantage as quantum deployments expand. The concentration of quantum expertise around academic institutions could therefore continue to influence the geography of the industry even as private companies and commercial facilities become more prominent.

Private Capital Expected to Become More Important Government funding has provided much of the foundation for quantum computing, but JLL expects private capital to increasingly drive infrastructure development as commercialization approaches. The report says private investors are entering the sector at unprecedented levels at the same time that companies need to build infrastructure to support expansion. JLL expects that capital to favor private developers capable of moving quickly as the technology develops. That could further change the ownership structure of quantum real estate, which is currently dominated by universities and government institutions.

Quantum Will Need Multiple Real Estate Models Another difference between quantum computing and artificial intelligence is the technology itself. JLL says quantum computing is unlikely to converge around a single dominant modality comparable to AI’s reliance on GPUs. Multiple quantum modalities are expected to remain in use, with each offering different advantages and requiring different physical environments. As a result, the report argues that standardized real estate templates are unlikely to work across the quantum sector. Investors and tenants will instead need to work closely together to design facilities around the requirements of individual quantum technologies.

The Real Estate Implication JLL’s report portrays quantum computing as an emerging physical infrastructure market rather than a technology confined to laboratories. The sector already has more than 240 facilities across 35 countries, while investment reached $9.3 billion in 2025. Government funding remains dominant globally, accounting for 70% of tracked funding, while private capital has become the primary driver of quantum investment in the United States. The next stage is expected to bring more commercial data center and HPC deployments, additional private development and greater use of cloud-based quantum services. For real estate, the report points to a market where location will be shaped not only by land, power and infrastructure, but also by access to specialized talent, security requirements, data sovereignty and the differing physical needs of multiple quantum computing technologies. What is quantum computing? Quantum computing is a different way of processing information that uses the principles of quantum physics. It is designed to solve certain extremely complex problems that are difficult or impractical for conventional computers. A simple way to think about it: A regular computer uses bits. Each bit is either 0 or 1. A quantum computer uses quantum bits, or “qubits.” A qubit can exist in a combination of 0 and 1 at the same time, a property called superposition. Qubits can also be connected through entanglement, allowing their states to be correlated in ways that have no direct equivalent in ordinary computing. This does not mean a quantum computer is simply a much faster version of a laptop. Quantum computers are potentially powerful for specific types of problems, such as simulating molecules and materials, optimizing complex systems, and certain cryptography-related calculations. An easy analogy Imagine a maze. A conventional computer might examine possible routes according to a particular algorithm, potentially requiring an enormous number of calculations as the maze becomes more complicated. A quantum computer uses quantum mechanical effects to manipulate many possible states in a fundamentally different way. Carefully designed quantum algorithms can make the correct answers more likely to emerge when the system is measured. The important point is that quantum computers don’t simply try every answer simultaneously and automatically give you the right one. Quantum algorithms must be specifically designed to exploit quantum effects. Why does it matter for real estate? Quantum computers require highly specialized physical environments. Depending on the technology, facilities may need sophisticated cooling systems, vibration control, shielding, specialized equipment and highly skilled personnel. That is why JLL describes “quantum real estate”: the buildings and infrastructure needed to research, manufacture and operate quantum computers. And quantum computers are not expected to replace ordinary data centers. Instead, they are likely to work alongside conventional computers, with quantum systems handling particular calculations while classical computers handle most other computing tasks.