Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (): Today (17th March) we are announcing the
UK's commitment to procuring and deploying large-scale quantum
computers on our shores by the early 2030s, backed by up to £2bn
of Government investment in quantum technologies. These systems
will be developed, built and rolled out in Britain – creating
British jobs, new opportunities for British businesses, and
opening new routes of investment to flow into our economy from
all over the world.
This ambitious commitment is the first of its kind in the world.
It will strengthen the United Kingdom's position as a global
leader in quantum technologies, supporting our Modern Industrial
Strategy. The programme will include a range of support for
quantum computing, sensing and networking, including R&D
grants, procurement contracts, skills investments and scale up
infrastructure upgrades. These targeted interventions will
contribute to long-term economic growth, creating British jobs,
new opportunities for British business and opening a new wave of
investment to flow into our economy from all over the world.
As part of this, the UK is pioneering a forward-looking, advanced
procurement plan for quantum computing infrastructure, backed by
coordinated funding for R&D and manufacturing. We are
uniquely connecting resources across software, hardware, and
error correction, supporting all development areas. This
integrated strategy accelerates progress and puts British
expertise ahead globally in delivering practical quantum
solutions.
This first of its kind quantum computing programme will launch
next week, where companies will be invited to table proposals to
partner with us to deliver state of the art prototypes for
evaluation. 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, as part of our national computing infrastructure -
transforming the UK into a hotbed for the latest, cutting-edge
quantum technology.
Quantum technologies offer new ways to tackle some of our most
challenging problems. By harnessing the behaviours of atomic and
subatomic particles, Quantum technologies will be vastly more
powerful for specific tasks than the most cutting-edge technology
of today. This could lead to faster, more accurate, and more
reliable solutions across industries and will be important for
national security.
These technologies are now reaching maturity, and it is our
ambition to consolidate the UK's leadership in this area to
unlock breakthroughs for the UK in areas such as medical
diagnostics, treatments, and the discovery of new materials for
clean energy.
For the UK specifically, Oxford Economics estimates that quantum
computers could increase productivity across the UK economy by up
to 7% by 2045, potentially delivering up to £212 billion of gross
value added to the economy and 100,000 new jobs.
This Government is committed to ensuring the UK can be one of the
first countries in the world to benefit from the transformative
potential of quantum technologies, and the plan we have set out
today will deliver on this.
