> "Research institutions" but for what kind of research?
Quantum computing research. I'd guess a big chunk of revenue will come from universities and research institutes. Some companies might also pay for it, e.g. quantum computing startups in need of anything they can show before they have hardware, or startups that aren't even planning to build their own hardware.
There are people working on finding useful problems that these devices might help with and how to best make use of them, how to build "infrastructure" for it. It's useful for them to have something to play with. Also, many organizations want to be (seen as) at the forefront of quantum computing, know the current capabilities, strengths and weaknesses of the various platforms, train and educate people about quantum computing and quantum technology in general, etc.
Quantum computing research. I'd guess a big chunk of revenue will come from universities and research institutes. Some companies might also pay for it, e.g. quantum computing startups in need of anything they can show before they have hardware, or startups that aren't even planning to build their own hardware.
There are people working on finding useful problems that these devices might help with and how to best make use of them, how to build "infrastructure" for it. It's useful for them to have something to play with. Also, many organizations want to be (seen as) at the forefront of quantum computing, know the current capabilities, strengths and weaknesses of the various platforms, train and educate people about quantum computing and quantum technology in general, etc.