The European Commission wants Europe to become the world leader in quantum computing within the next five years

Inside the Quantum Lab, a low camera shot 12mm--a 3D render of a chandelier-style quantum computer hanging from the ceiling in a room covered in metal vents for airflow. — (Image credit: John D via Getty Images)

In the world of money-swallowing tech, AI has been the golden goose that most countries around the world have been pumping cash into. Thanks to the likes of Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, and many others, America is the undisputed leader in this sector, and with China following closely behind. Perhaps feeling that it has somewhat missed the boat, Europe has decided that it too wants to be a tech leader and has set its sights on besting everyone in quantum computing by 2030.

To achieve this lofty goal, the European Commission has commenced its snappily-titled Quantum Europe Strategy that focuses on five areas: research and development; quantum infrastructures; a stronger quantum ecosystem; space and dual-use quantum technologies; and quantum skills. If you want a more visual breakdown as to what any of that actually means, the EC has created a PDF factsheet you can download.

It also estimates that, by 2040, the quantum technology sector (especially anything related to defence and security) will be worth in excess of €155 billion globally. That does seem like a lot of money, though compared to how much cash is spent on AI, it's a small drop in the ocean.

Despite many decades of research into quantum computing, it's still not at the point where it can be fully utilised on the same scale as traditional computing. A more cynical view would be to say that quantum computing hasn't really left the laboratory, despite claims to the contrary. However, that's to be expected given that the sector really hasn't received anything like the same level of funding that AI has in the past few years.

Microsoft Majorana 1 quantum processor — Microsoft's Majorana 1 quantum processor. (Image credit: Microsoft, John Brecher)

Hopefully, that's precisely what the EC's new strategy will help to change, and all those hard years of work carried out by academic institutions and independent companies will finally bear fruit in the form of functional quantum computers that perform calculations vital to progressing medicine and space science, as well as defence and security.

The European Commission aims to follow the strategy with a Quantum Act proposal next year, which would incentivise "Member States and companies, investors and researchers to invest in (pilot) production facilities, under the umbrella of large-scale EU-wide national or regional initiatives."

Whether any of this will achieve the goal of making Europe the world leader in quantum computing within five years is anyone's guess, but one has to start somewhere, and it's a positive sign that Europe's policy makers are at least setting things in stone. I dare say that none of us will probably see a quantum computer make us a cup of Earl Grey tea at home in our lifetimes, but I hope to one day see a genuine QC doing its thing in a genuine use case, rather than a research laboratory.

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Nick, gaming, and computers all first met in the early 1980s. After leaving university, he became a physics and IT teacher and started writing about tech in the late 1990s. That resulted in him working with MadOnion to write the help files for 3DMark and PCMark. After a short stint working at Beyond3D.com, Nick joined Futuremark (MadOnion rebranded) full-time, as editor-in-chief for its PC gaming section, YouGamers. After the site shutdown, he became an engineering and computing lecturer for many years, but missed the writing bug. Cue four years at TechSpot.com covering everything and anything to do with tech and PCs. He freely admits to being far too obsessed with GPUs and open-world grindy RPGs, but who isn't these days?

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