Quantum computing in East Asia is entering a more concrete phase in 2026, as national programs that once measured progress in research papers begin setting targets for larger machines, dedicated funding vehicles and industrial coordination. The shift marks a move away from headline demonstrations toward the slower work of building systems that can do useful computation.
Two countries are driving most of the regional momentum. Japan has framed the period as the beginning of quantum industrialisation, backed by a national strategy that industry observers value at roughly one trillion yen. China, for its part, has placed quantum technology at the top of a list of "future industries" in its latest five-year economic plan, signalling that the field now sits among the country's priority growth engines.
Japan targets bigger machines
On the hardware side, a partnership between the research institute Riken and Fujitsu has set a goal of bringing a roughly 1,000-qubit superconducting system online by the end of 2026, with a longer-term ambition of reaching tens of thousands of qubits by the end of the decade on the same platform. Reaching higher qubit counts is widely seen as a prerequisite for error-corrected machines capable of tackling problems beyond the reach of conventional supercomputers.
Japan is also linking quantum hardware to classical computing power. Chipmaker Nvidia has committed a large block of its latest accelerators to a hybrid quantum-classical effort hosted at Riken, reflecting a broader industry view that near-term quantum machines will work alongside conventional supercomputers rather than replace them. Coordination across Japanese industry runs through an alliance that now counts well over a hundred corporate members, including major electronics and automotive firms.
China consolidates and scales
China's approach leans heavily on state direction and scale. A national venture guidance fund has channelled large sums into regional quantum-focused investment vehicles covering the country's main economic clusters, including the area around Beijing, the Yangtze River Delta and the southern Greater Bay Area. Analysts tracking the sector estimate that China's quantum industry has grown at annual rates above 30 percent in recent years.
Consolidation has accompanied the spending. A state-owned telecommunications group took a controlling stake in one of the country's leading quantum firms, bringing quantum communication and computing capabilities under a single corporate umbrella. According to industry analysts, US export controls on quantum hardware and cryogenic equipment appear to have accelerated domestic development rather than slowing it, as Chinese firms move to build more of the supply chain at home.
A crowded regional field
Beyond the two largest players, several other economies in and around the region are investing heavily. Singapore has committed several hundred million dollars to quantum research and talent, positioning itself as a hub that draws companies and investors from across Asia. South Korea, Taiwan, India and Australia are each building national programs, and analysts expect the broader Asia-Pacific to be among the fastest-growing markets for quantum technology over the coming years.
The renewed emphasis on roadmaps reflects a maturing of expectations. After several years in which progress was often described in terms of single-machine records, the conversation has turned to error correction, supply chains and the long path to commercially useful systems. Those are harder milestones to dramatise, and they are likely to take longer to reach.
What unites the regional programs is patience backed by public money. The funding commitments stretch across the rest of the decade, and the targets set for 2026 are framed as steps rather than destinations. The machines being planned this year are meant to prove that the next, much larger ones are buildable at all.