Quantum Control Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
Quantum control and error correction patents: who holds the ground and where it is still open
27.4% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees account for 2,207 of the 8,042 records in scope — a concentrated head with a long tail below tenth place. Annual filings rose from 252 in 2017 to a peak of 871 in 2024, a 25% increase across the 2021-2024 span. 2025 and 2026 figures (down to 98 for the partial latest year) are undercounted due to publication lag and should not be read as a decline.
- 1GOOGLE LLC10.7%
- 2INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION5.6%
- 3PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORP5.2%
- 4MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC3.1%
- 5ZAPATA COMPUTING INC2.8%
See the full quantum control & error correction patent landscape analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about this field
Who are the leading patent holders in quantum control and error correction?
The ranked field covers 100 assignees, with one clear leader holding 864 records against 222 at fifth place — a visible gap that points to a sustained, well-resourced filing programme. Google, IBM, Panasonic, Microsoft and Sony are among the entities represented in the top group, alongside hardware-focused players such as D-Wave Systems, Rigetti and PsiQuantum. Below the top ten the ranking thins quickly, so most named assignees hold only a handful of records each, and the field is far from a two-player race.
Is patent filing in quantum control and error correction still growing?
Yes, based on the last complete year of data: filings rose from 697 in 2021 to 871 in 2024, a 25% increase, with 2024 the peak year in the series so far. Counts for 2025 and 2026 appear lower, but that is expected because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so those years are still filling in. Read the 2021-2024 trend, not the most recent two years, as the fair measure of momentum.
What technology areas do these patents actually cover?
The IPC composition shows heavy overlap with AI-based computing (G06N, 63.2% of the 8,042 records) and general digital data processing (G06F, 15.9%), alongside digital transmission, video/audio communication, magnetic/optical storage, nanotechnology and coding classes. This spread reflects that quantum control claims are frequently framed as computing-architecture or signal-processing inventions rather than purely physical-hardware claims. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages overlap rather than summing to a whole.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Quantum Control & Error Correction Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.