EU COMMISSION TO UNVEIL QUANTUM COMPUTING AND SUPERCOMPUTING STRATEGY IN JUNE

The European Commission plans to unveil its quantum strategy sooner than anticipated, in June of this year. This accelerated timeline aims to boost the adoption of a technology believed to hold the key to breakthroughs in medicine and finance.

The Commission began consultations on the plan early last month and initially intended to launch the strategy in the third quarter of the year. The proposal seeks to strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty and economic security in quantum technologies, including computing and communication. It is expected to call for cooperation among member states for the full implementation of the European Declaration on Quantum Technologies, signed last spring.

The strategy will also advocate for aligning major research and development programs and pooling resources to avoid fragmentation and duplication. Furthermore, it aims to collectively build pan-European quantum infrastructure, such as for the production of quantum chips and specialized computing platforms, while ensuring a stable supply of critical components.

"The EU is strong in the early stages of research, but often struggles to scale it up, commercialize it, and disseminate it globally," the Commission stated during its comment collection phase. The Commission also noted that the EU lacks industrial capacity in key areas, such as the production of quantum processors and other hardware components, adding that current technological dependency poses supply vulnerability and even sovereignty concerns.

Quantum Computing Could Generate €850 Billion for the EU

During her confirmation hearing, European Commissioner for Technologies, Henna Virkkunen, committed to introducing a new strategy to promote the technology. When entrusting her with the mandate, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that the EU should intensify efforts and investments "with regard to the next wave of 'frontier technologies,' including quantum computing."

Mario Draghi's competitiveness report, published late last year, also asserted that quantum computing will play a fundamental role in next-generation digital frameworks, with significant economic and security implications. According to the report, it could contribute up to €850 billion to the EU economy over the next 15-30 years.

What do you think are the biggest challenges the EU will face in implementing this ambitious quantum strategy across all member states?