The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Liz Kendall)
Today 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 £2 billion 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 research and development 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 co-ordinated 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 are committed to ensuring that the UK can be one of the first countries in the world to benefit from the transformative potential of quantum technologies, and the plan that we have set out today will deliver on this.
[HCWS1409]