The UK government is investing £45 million in the country’s quantum sector, aiming to transform it into a quantum-enabled economy by 2033. The investment includes £30 million for developing quantum computers and £15 million for the Quantum Catalyst Fund, which aims to accelerate the adoption of quantum solutions in the public sector.
Projects receiving funding include a high-tech brain scanner using quantum technology and a smart navigation system for trains. The funding was announced by Science Minister Andrew Griffith during a visit to Cerca Magnetics, a University of Nottingham spin-out company supported through the National Quantum Technologies Programme.
Quantum technologies have the potential to meet some of the greatest challenges society faces. By unleashing computing power that goes far beyond existing digital technology, we can reach new frontiers in sensing, timing, imaging, and communications.
Professor Will Drury, Executive Director, Digital and Technologies at Innovate UK
UK Government Invests £45 Million in Quantum Sector.
The UK government has announced a £45 million investment in the country’s quantum sector. This funding is part of the government’s commitment to transition into a quantum-enabled economy by 2033, leveraging the potential of quantum technology to revolutionize sectors such as healthcare, energy, and transport.
Allocation of Funds and Quantum Catalyst Fund Winners
Of the total investment, £30 million will be allocated to the development and delivery of prototype quantum computers, providing a controlled environment for scientific experimentation. The remaining £15 million, sourced from the Quantum Catalyst Fund, will be used to expedite the adoption of quantum solutions in the public sector. Projects funded by this initiative range from optimizing power grids to improving dementia diagnosis.
Quantum Technology’s Potential in Healthcare and Transport
The funding will support projects that include the development of a high-tech brain scanner using quantum technology aimed at improving the diagnosis of disorders such as epilepsy and dementia. Another initiative involves a smart navigation system for trains, using quantum sensors to reduce costs and enhance tunnel safety. These projects represent innovative advancements developed in the UK that could significantly transform healthcare and transport.
Quantum Technologies and the UK’s Vision for a Quantum-Enabled Economy
Quantum technologies have the potential to solve complex problems that currently surpass the capabilities of even the most advanced classical computers. This will allow us to reach new frontiers in sensing, timing, imaging, and communications. The £45 million funding supports the government’s vision to transform into a quantum-enabled economy by 2033, as outlined by Science Minister Andrew Griffith during a visit to Cerca Magnetics, a University of Nottingham spin-out company.
UKRI and NQCC’s Investment in Quantum Computing
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund and the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) have invested £30 million through a competition to develop and deliver world-leading quantum computing hardware prototypes. An additional £15 million from the Quantum Catalyst Fund is set to accelerate the use of quantum in government. Both initiatives will enable quantum technologies to be used in real-life applications in the private and public sectors.
Quantum Funding
The following proposals were funded.
NQCC Testbeds
| Project name | Lead company | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Asteroidea – a flexible photonic quantum computing testbed for machine learning | ORCA Computing | London |
| QUARTET: The QUantum Advantage-Ready Trapped-Ion Exploration Testbed | Oxford Ionics | Oxford |
| SQALE: Scalable Quantum Atomic Lattice computing testbed | Cold Quanta UK | Warwick |
| Towards an error-corrected neutral-atom quantum computer | QuEra Computing | Exeter |
| Full-stack superconducting 24-Qubit quantum computing testbed with tuneable couplers and scalable control system | Rigetti UK | London |
| ARTEMIS: Advanced Research Testbed Manipulating PhotonIc States | AEGIQ | Sheffield |
| Silicon Cloverleaf | Quantum Motion | London |
Quantum Catalyst Fund
| Project name | Lead company | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum Simulations: A New Era for Actinide Chemistry | Cambridge Quantum Computing | London |
| Railway Quantum Inertial Navigation System for Condition Based Monitoring | MoniRail Ltd | West Midlands |
| Quantum-Enabled Brain Imaging: A Pathway to Clinical Utility | Cerca Magnetics Ltd | Nottingham |
| GCC – Gravity Cartography Catalyst | Quantum-optimised train schedules | Birmingham |
| Railway Quantum Inertial Navigation System for Condition-Based Monitoring | Q-CTRL UK Ltd | London |
| Quantum computing solutions for optimisation problems in Energy Grids | Phasecraft Ltd | London |
The National Quantum Computing Centre
The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) serves as the United Kingdom’s premier institution for advancing quantum computing. Its mission is to expedite the progress of quantum computing technologies by tackling the significant challenges associated with their scalability. In collaboration with industry partners, governmental bodies, and the academic community, the NQCC aims to enhance the UK’s quantum computing capabilities and foster the expansion of this nascent sector.
My congratulations to the lead providers of our seven awarded quantum testbeds. Over the coming 15 months these prototype quantum computing platforms will be deployed into the newly established NQCC facility providing us with a valuable insight into the maturity, characteristics and capabilities available across a range of hardware architectures.
Dr Michael Cuthbert, Director of the National Quantum Computing Centre
The NQCC’s efforts are underpinned by a substantial investment of £93 million, a collaborative endeavor spearheaded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) under the umbrella of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Strategically located, the NQCC’s headquarters will be situated within a specially constructed facility at the STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, positioned in the Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire. This state-of-the-art building is anticipated to be completed by 2024.
Furthermore, the NQCC is a critical component of the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP), a comprehensive initiative that channels both public and private investments totaling £1 billion over a decade (2014-2024). This initiative aims to advance quantum technology in various domains, including sensing, timing, imaging, communications, and computing, thereby solidifying the UK’s leadership in the quantum technology arena.