IBM CEO sees quantum cash flow by 2029, crypto checks its locks 🔐

Quantum computing will begin generating meaningful revenue before the decade ends, with IBM targeting 2028 or 2029 as the point at which the technology contributes measurably to its top and bottom lines, CEO Arvind Krishna said in an interview on CNBC's Mad Money on Thursday. "By the end of the 2030s, we are now pretty convinced this is a trillion dollars of value," Krishna told host Jim Cramer, describing what he characterized as the long-term economic potential of the sector. He added that "a quantum computer can do things better, faster, cheaper, in a way that normal classical computers cannot do at this time."

IBM is one of several companies racing to commercialize hardware and software that exploit quantum mechanics to solve mathematical problems that would take classical machines thousands of years. Alphabet, IonQ and Rigetti Computing are among the firms building systems aimed at molecular simulation, logistics optimization, materials science and cryptography. Krishna said IBM has already used its quantum machines to identify material properties that conventional computers had been unable to model, with applications he cited spanning longer-lasting batteries, new materials, fusion energy research and drug discovery.

Investment has followed the commercialization timeline. In May, IBM announced plans for a standalone quantum chip foundry backed by a $1 billion commitment from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The funding reflects a broader acceleration in capital flowing into the sector as confidence grows that quantum systems can move from research settings into revenue-generating deployments. Krishna said IBM's roadmap includes continued scaling of qubit counts and error-correction capabilities, both seen as prerequisites for commercial workloads.

The crypto industry is monitoring the build-out closely. Bitcoin miners and other market participants are weighing the infrastructure demands of quantum hardware as well as the long-term implications for digital-asset security. Researchers have noted that sufficiently powerful quantum machines could in theory threaten the elliptic-curve cryptography that underpins Bitcoin and other major blockchain networks, though industry consensus places any such capability well beyond the current generation of devices. No quantum system in operation today is close to breaking that cryptographic protection.

For now, executives including Krishna have framed quantum computing as a complement to classical infrastructure rather than a replacement, with near-term use cases concentrated in simulation and optimization. Krishna's revenue timeline, alongside peer roadmaps from Alphabet, IonQ and Rigetti, sets the parameters for when investors and developers outside the quantum field, including those tracking $BTC and $ETH, should expect the technology to begin producing commercial results.