The UK has announced a new package of measures to become the first country in the world to deploy quantum computers at scale.
The UK will be the first country to benefit from innovative quantum computers, sensors and networks, supporting the emergence of the next generation of leading UK companies that will help shape the progress curve.
The realization of full-scale quantum computers will help deliver personalized treatments, potential cures for disease, protect national security, provide well-paying jobs, and enable the government’s modern industrial strategy.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “I am confident that this country understands the benefits that quantum computing can bring.
“Only by keeping pace with advances in technology can we deliver good-paying jobs, cutting-edge public services, and life-changing innovations.”
The impact of quantum technology on the UK economy
Estimates suggest that quantum technology could increase productivity by 7% over the next 20 years, creating more than 100,000 jobs in the process.
This would have an economic impact worth £212 billion, equivalent to the combined annual GDP of Wales and Northern Ireland.
“Today’s announcement is an investment in our future, unlocking better health, wealth and more opportunity for communities across the country,” Kendall commented.
“This Government is taking a quantum leap forward and has decided today to support Britain’s scientists, businesses and innovators to deliver a future that works for everyone.”
Quantum is set to rival AI as the next revolutionary technology
A pioneering program worth up to £2 billion of Government investment announced by the Technology Secretary and Prime Minister today will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of quantum innovation.
Professor Charlotte Dean, UKRI’s Senior Director of Quantum, explains:
“This reflects the Government’s and UKRI’s sustained investment over many years in the UK’s quantum research base and the development of the outstanding talent, skills and partnerships that have made this moment possible.”
Quantum is the next big leap in technology and will rival AI as the technology that will define the future.
While traditional computers use a one-at-a-time approach to solve problems, quantum systems explore thousands of potential answers at once, reducing the time it takes to reach a solution.
This will accelerate Britain’s ability to drive growth, investment and national regeneration for future generations, delivering new life-changing breakthroughs along the way.
Quantum computer designed and manufactured in the UK
The UK is already a world powerhouse in technology, launching the first-of-its-kind National Quantum Technology Program in 2014, backed by more than £1 billion of public funding to support skills, research and infrastructure.
As of today, the UK is the first country in the world to commit to advance procurement to build large-scale quantum computers domestically by the early 2030s.
By combining research and development, manufacturing, software, hardware and procurement into a single program, we will become a world leader in the development and deployment of large-scale quantum computers.
These systems will be built in the UK, creating British jobs, new opportunities for British businesses and opening up new routes for investment to flow into the economy from around the world.
Evaluation of state-of-the-art prototypes
Our first-of-its-kind procurement program, ‘ProQure: Scaling UK Quantum Computing’, launches next week and invites companies with proposals to partner with us to provide cutting-edge prototypes for evaluation.
Prototypes will then be evaluated and the most promising companies will be invited to deliver large-scale machines for use by scientists, researchers, the public sector and businesses as part of the UK’s national computing infrastructure, turning the UK into a hotbed for the latest cutting-edge quantum technology.
Jonathan Lee-Smith, Executive Director of UKQuantum, said: “Today’s announcement will strengthen our national position, accelerate the scale-up of UK quantum companies, drive adoption across our industrial base and strengthen the UK as a world leader in quantum technology.”
The technology is already in use across the United States, and Q-BIOMED researchers at University College London are investigating wearable brain scanners to support epilepsy patients.
Further technological advances in the UK
Coinciding with today’s quantum announcement, several global companies are announcing technology breakthroughs made in the UK and new and recent investment commitments, including:
Infleqtion has delivered a 100-qubit quantum computer to the National Quantum Computing Center, making significant progress in developing large-scale systems with operational capabilities. Vecent has selected the UK National Physical Laboratory as its next location outside the US, supporting world-leading talent and expertise across UK institutions. IonQ has entered into a major strategic research partnership with the University of Cambridge. This will establish the IonQ Quantum Innovation Center, which will host IonQ’s state-of-the-art 256-qubit computer and accelerate research and discovery in the UK.
The range of measures launched today will not only lay the foundations for new investment, jobs and improved public services across the country, but also cement Britain’s place as a global leader in the emerging technologies that will shape the future.
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