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  • Preprint, not yet peer reviewed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