On 17 March, the UK government announced a programme worth up to £2 billion of government investment into quantum innovation. The announcement was made by the Technology Secretary and the Chancellor, who expressed the UK’s aim to become the first country in the world to roll out quantum computers at scale.
Part of the funding will be used to commit to an advanced procurement to build large-scale quantum computers by the early 2030s, joining R&D, manufacturing, software, hardware and procurement into a single programme.
This first procurement programme, ”ProQure: Scaling UK Quantum Computing” will launch next week, where companies will be invited to table proposals to deliver prototypes for evaluation. The prototypes will then be assessed, with the most promising companies invited to deliver larger scale machines for use by scientists, researchers, the public sector, and businesses.
The investment also aims to accelerate growth of the UK’s quantum industry by supporting UK-based firms, while also building an environment which encourages private backers to invest into the sector across hardware, processors and manufacturing through to sustained investment in UK supply chains.
Financial breakdown
In addition to the £1 billion for procuring large scale quantum computers, the investments announced include:
Over £1 billion over the next 4 years to support companies and researchers,specifically:
- over £500 million dedicated to quantum computing – helping companies scale and develop new uses for the technology in areas like pharmaceuticals, financial services, and energy
- over £400 million to support breakthroughs in sensing and navigation and the skills and infrastructure needed to bring these technologies to market
- dedicated funding of £125 million for quantum networking and £205 million for quantum sensing and navigation , with a focus on medical diagnostics, greenhouse gas monitoring, and ultra-secure communications.
- an extra £13.8 million injected into the UK’s 5 National Quantum Research Hubs delivered by UK Research and Innovation, with researchers working in healthcare, clean energy, and national security projects among the first to get access to the most powerful technology in the world
- fresh support for the Quantum Software Lab based in Edinburgh will accelerate the discovery of new applications for Quantum computers in sectors such as financial services, life sciences and advanced manufacturing
- an additional £90 million to fund quantum infrastructure and meet the scaling needs of industry along with £20 million in skills and commercialisation programmes.
