Is Europe really Quantum Computing Native?

France, Germany and the EU show their promise.

Hello Everyone,

While Europe boasts dozens of Quantum computing startups, I sometimes doubt it’s funding prowess compared to the United States or China.

To unlock the transformative power of quantum, the EU wants to develop a solid industrial base that builds on its tradition of excellence in quantum research. The EU would certainly like us to think that it is indeed a leader.

A recent new study published by the European Commission in early February, 2023 called "Taking the lead in the quantum revolution" shows Europe’s quantum technology ecosystem is thriving with a suite of solutions being developed by projects, start-ups, and spin-offs for a number of applications, including sensing, communication, and computation.

Outside of France, and maybe Germany, it’s not as if the EU (not counting the UK) have many major QC startups. Though the diversity of startups is impressive.

The driving force behind many of the continent’s quantum technology breakthroughs since 2018 is the Quantum Flagship – Europe’s €1 billion, ten-year research and innovation program, the report reveals.
 
~Growth from Ramp-Up Phase
 
Since the initial four-year 'ramp-up' phase (2018-2021) began, Europe's 1500 quantum scientists across 236 organizations filed 105 patents (with 64 already granted) and published 1313 scientific papers (with a further 223 under review).

~ European Quantum Outlook
 
The report finds that the initial ramp-up phase has established strong foundations upon which Europe can build its globally-competitive quantum ecosystem of SMEs, corporations, investors, and leading researchers.

The EU’S Quantum Technologies Flagship

The present report marks the conclusion of the Flagship’s ramp-up phase, and the review of these 21 projects in the fields of quantum communication, quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum sensing and metrology, and basic quantum science, led by independent experts from academia and industry, that was carried out at this point in its lifetime.

In October, 2022 the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) announced the selection of six sites that will host the first European quantum computers: in Czechia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Poland.