Prominence of corporate science in quantum computing research

In this study, we empirically examined the growing prominence of corporate science and its influence on quantum computing research. An analysis of approximately 30,000 research papers on quantum computing revealed that firms are increasingly publishing scientifically impactful research compared to noncorporate entities in this field. Additional analyses of text data from research article abstracts using topic modeling indicated that corporate research is concentrated on prominent topics such as quantum computing for Machine Learning/ Artificial Intelligence and quantum algorithms, attracting increasing scholarly attention. In contrast, noncorporate research has been relatively dispersed across various topics. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and insights from an interview with a field expert, we theorize that with secured access to unique and rare resources for quantum computing research, corporate researchers are better positioned to experiment and iterate on novel ideas than their noncorporate counterparts. The publication of these research outcomes provides strategic advantages without compromising their appropriability. Our findings have implications for science policymakers and corporate innovation strategists, contributing to the literature on the role of corporate research in scientific progress.