Quantum Powerhouse

The field · policy

National strategies

Governments fund quantum for the same two reasons the cryptography section exists: the threat and the prize. The entries below are dated commitments and legislative status — a bill in committee is labeled a projection, a signed appropriation a verified fact — plus the one program designed to referee vendor claims.

  • Verified — published result
  • Vendor-reported result
  • Projection — roadmap target
  • Opinion — named, dated
  • Estimate — with caveats
  • Contested — disputed in the record
  • Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed

Programs and legislation

United States: reauthorizing the National Quantum Initiative

Projection — roadmap target

Two reauthorization bills were moving in 2026: the House Science Committee passed H.R. 8462 on 1 May 2026 (extending the initiative to 2032), while the Senate Commerce Committee advanced S. 3597 (extending to 2034). The two must be reconciled before full votes and signature — as of the check date the reauthorization is legislation in progress, not law.

DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative: 11 companies into Stage B

Verified — published result

On 6 November 2025 DARPA selected 11 companies for Stage B of QBI — Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, IonQ, Nord Quantique, Photonic Inc., Quantinuum, Quantum Motion, QuEra, Silicon Quantum Computing and Xanadu — spanning neutral atoms, trapped ions, superconducting, silicon spins and photonics. The program's stated goal is to determine whether any approach can reach utility-scale operation (computational value exceeding cost) by 2033; Stage B is a one-year R&D-plan phase and Stage C puts a government verification team on the design. It is the closest thing the field has to an independent referee.

United Kingdom: £2 billion for scaling and procurement (March 2026)

Verified — published result

On 17 March 2026 the UK government announced £2 billion: £1 billion for a first-of-its-kind procurement programme ('ProQure: Scaling UK Quantum Computing') and over £1 billion across four years for technology, skills and facilities — reported as £500m for pharmaceutical and finance applications, £400m for sensing and navigation, £125m for networking and £205m for diagnostics and secure communications. This sits on top of the 2023 National Quantum Strategy's ten-year £2.5 billion commitment.

United Kingdom (2023): £2.5 billion over ten years, and a 2035 mission

Projection — roadmap target

The March 2023 National Quantum Strategy committed £2.5 billion over ten years to research, innovation and skills, with missions in computing, networking, sensing and navigation. Its headline computing mission is a target, not a result: 'By 2035, there will be accessible, UK-based quantum computers capable of running 1 trillion operations and supporting applications that provide benefits well in excess of classical supercomputers.' The strategy's vision is a 'leading quantum-enabled economy by 2033'.

European Union: a Quantum Act planned for 2026

Projection — roadmap target

The European Commission opened a call for contributions (31 October 2025, extended to 15 December) to shape a Quantum Act scheduled for adoption in 2026, with three stated objectives: boost research and innovation; scale industrial capacity including pilot lines and a design facility; and reinforce supply-chain resilience and governance. A legislative plan, not yet law, at the check date.

See also