Analysis: Where will £500m UK Gov Investment in Quantum Go?

The UK government announces plans to invest more than £500m in quantum computing over the next four years, as part of its broader Digital and Technologies Sector Plan. 

This forms part of a £670m commitment over the next decade, to accelerate the impact of quantum computers across industries from healthcare and energy to telecommunications and cybersecurity.

The ambitious Digital and Technologies Sector Plan will help deliver UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and drive national renewal as part of its Plan for Change.

But what are quantum technologies and where will this investment go?

What are quantum technologies?

Essentially, these are scientific applications that inject quantum mechanics into a given field of technology.

Or, put another way, quantum technologies are a new wave of innovations based on the principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement. 

These properties enable systems to process information in fundamentally different ways from legacy compute technologies, unlocking new levels of speed, capabilities, sensitivity and security.

Key areas of quantum technologies include:

• Quantum computing, which could vastly outperform traditional computers for certain tasks.
• Quantum communication, offering ultra-secure data transmission. 
• Quantum sensing, enabling highly precise measurements. 

While still in development, quantum technologies are expected to revolutionise sectors including finance, defence, materials science, telecommunications and healthcare by offering capabilities that were previously thought to be scientifically, technologically or computationally unreachable.

Major players to keep an eye on

Several industry-leading organisations with a presence in the UK are developing their quantum technologies strategy.

• IBM aims to build its first large-scale quantum computer by 2029.
• Microsoft envisions quantum computing within years, not decades, and its unveiling of a quantum chip called Majorana 1 forms part of this prediction.
• Amazon has joined the quantum race with Ocelot, its first quantum chip  

Where will the money go?

The UK Government's quantum investment “will be dedicated to the application of this revolutionary technology”.

According to Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology at UK Government, innovators will be able to tap into the investment funds to drive future technologies like life-saving medicines and semiconductors capable of powering next-generation mobile phones. 

“Britain is full of ambitious risk-takers driven by a desire to innovate and improve people’s everyday lives,” says Peter. “It is on us in government to match that boldness by investing in our country’s immense potential and embracing businesses who can drive that change and grow our economy.

“From quantum computers that could revolutionise drug discovery and make the NHS fit for the future, to sustainable fuels that can make the UK a clean energy superpower, science and technology has a key part to play in delivering our modern Industrial Strategy to renew our country and support our Plan for Change.”

The UK Government’s mission to develop quantum technologies entails some priority deployments, including:

• Establishing of a new national semiconductor centre, dedicated to helping UK businesses grow and thrive.
• Transforming healthcare by revolutionising drug discovery, enhancing NHS capabilities and exploring how quantum scanners might change medical testing.
• Encouraging sustainability with clean-energy breakthroughs such as advanced carbon capture technologies.
• Connecting people with telecommunications technology converging around 6G and the next generation of semiconductors that are needed to progress it.
• Protecting the environment by improving water supply and disaster prediction.
• Supporting for biology researchers exploring advancements in fields from eco-friendly fuels to new vaccines.
• Enhancing cybersecurity with post-quantum encryption.
• Revolutionising the role of data analytics in the financial services sector. 
• Committing to artificial intelligence as a frontier technology.
• Developing quantum computers that can outperform conventional supercomputers by 2035.

By itself, quantum computing is projected to support 26,900 jobs and contribute £2.3bn to the UK’s GDP by 2034.

Estimates indicate the global quantum market could reach £137bn by 2040, and with this investment, the UK is positioning itself to capture a significant portion of this growth.

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