Draft EU Quantum Act Would Favor European Suppliers, Set Computing and Security Targets

Insider Brief

• A draft EU Quantum Act would coordinate European quantum research, manufacturing and commercialization while generally reserving strategic projects and public procurement for EU-controlled suppliers and qualifying international partners.
• The draft targets approximately 100 error-corrected logical qubits per system by 2030 or soon after and proposes shared infrastructure for quantum computing, communications, sensing and timing.
• The proposal would introduce quantum-safe purchasing requirements for critical sectors, with funding dependent on future EU programmes, national contributions and private investment.

If Winston Churchill were here today, he might say an “ion curtain” is descending across the Continent.

Europe’s proposed Quantum Act would generally reserve public purchases of quantum technology and participation in strategic projects for EU-controlled companies, while leaving a door open to qualifying international partners, according to a draft of the document obtained by The Quantum Insider.

According to the document, the act would establish a common framework for European quantum research, engineering and industrial development, requiring member states to align national strategies with shared priorities. It would also introduce purchasing requirements for quantum-safe security in critical sectors and set ambitions for error-corrected computing and cross-border quantum networks.

The central thrust of the draft appears to link those measures to converting Europe’s scientific capabilities into companies, products and production capacity that can compete internationally while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.

Its scope extends across quantum computing, communications, sensing and precision measurement, as well as the components, software and skills needed to develop and operate those technologies.

European Suppliers and Industrial Capacity

One of the draft’s most consequential provisions concerns who could participate in Europe’s quantum market.

Participation in designated strategic quantum infrastructure and industrial projects would generally be limited to EU-controlled companies. Public procurement procedures for quantum products, systems and services would face a similar restriction, alongside requirements to assess security of supply, interoperability and support over a product’s operating life.

The document provides a route for participation by companies from international partners. Where a strategic partnership allows reciprocal participation, the European Commission could authorize access to specified projects, infrastructure or services, subject to safeguards covering security, intellectual property and European technological interests.

The industrial provisions would support strategic projects addressing gaps across the supply chain, including complete quantum computers, cloud services, manufacturing facilities and specialized components.

Priority areas include quantum foundries, chip fabrication and packaging, control electronics, cryogenics, lasers, detectors and precision equipment. The draft calls for stronger pilot production and design capabilities toward 2030, followed by a shift toward industrial-scale production and commercially viable foundries during 2030–2035.

Projects would be assessed on technical maturity, European added value and their contribution to reducing supply dependencies.

Beyond Qubit Counts

The draft proposes a series of quantum grand challenges to address scientific and engineering obstacles, including the development of fault-tolerant computers that can carry out reliable calculations despite errors.

The computing ambition is approximately 100 error-corrected logical qubits per system by 2030 or soon after, scaling toward thousands per platform by 2035. Logical qubits use error-correction techniques to protect quantum information and support longer, more dependable calculations.

The document calls for progress to be assessed through logical error rates, the quality and duration of operations, scalability, availability, energy use and performance on computing tasks.

The draft emphasizes that qubit counts alone say little about how what a machine can reliably do.

The proposed challenges would support competing hardware approaches, along with processors, interconnects, control systems, software and integration with high-performance computing. AI methods could contribute to calibration, control, error correction and decoding.

Other challenges would address navigation when satellite signals are unavailable, quantum memories and repeaters, sensing and imaging, machine learning, and the discovery of materials and medicines.

For quantum machine learning, the document calls for independently reproducible comparisons with leading conventional AI methods. Those assessments would examine accuracy, execution time, training-data needs, energy consumption and the total computing resources required.

Shared Infrastructure and Quantum Networks

A proposed European Quantum Service Platform would provide a common interface for accessing quantum computing infrastructure and services, particularly through resources made available by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.

The broader infrastructure program would include communications networks, medical imaging, gravity measurement and precise timing.

For quantum networking, the draft sets a target of interoperable metropolitan networks by 2030, with initial pilot facilities operating over distances of up to approximately 50 kilometres, subject to technological readiness. Toward 2035, the ambition would expand to connections of around 200 kilometres and demonstrations of distributed computing and networked sensing.

A federated European Quantum Internet is identified as a longer-term ambition for 2040 and beyond.

The European Quantum Communication Infrastructure, or EuroQCI, would work toward an interconnected experimental terrestrial and space network by 2031. During 2031–2035, it would progressively move toward certified, reliable and interoperable operational services.

Other proposed milestones include a cross-border quantum timing network by 2030 and the progression of selected quantum medical imaging systems toward multi-site clinical validation around 2030–2031.

Quantum-Safe Purchasing and Preparedness

The draft indicates the EU would also use public purchasing to accelerate the transition to post-quantum cryptography, which are mathematical methods designed to resist attacks by both classical and quantum computers.

For procurement procedures starting six months after the regulation entered into force, purchases relating to infrastructure, equipment and systems in designated critical sectors would generally have to be post-quantum cryptography-ready and support crypto-agility — or, the ability to change cryptographic methods.

Where suitable solutions were unavailable, products would need to support crypto-agility and include a documented migration plan. Limited exceptions for components that could not support such changes would require a technical and security assessment, compensating protections and deadlines for upgrading or replacement.

Cost or supplier preference alone would not justify an exception.

Member states would report their preparedness for the transition within six months of entry into force and annually thereafter. The Commission could establish binding migration milestones and timelines if it concluded they were necessary for a coordinated transition.

Support for Companies and Users

To help technologies reach customers, the draft proposes specialized engineering and innovation hubs, competence and acceleration centers, regulatory sandboxes and a forum connecting providers with potential buyers.

Each member state would establish at least one competence and acceleration centre, with the option of establishing centres jointly. Their role would include helping companies identify applications and access technical advice, infrastructure, skills, finance and procurement opportunities.

A Quantum Investment Service Desk would advise startups and smaller companies on financing and investment preparation. Where a strategically important capability faced a material funding gap, it could help coordinate relevant public and private financing institutions.

The Commission would also monitor supply dependencies and maintain a list of critical quantum components. Assessments could consider risks arising from foreign acquisitions or the relocation of important activities outside the EU.

Funding and Implementation

The draft sets no overall spending allocation. Funding would depend on future EU programmes, particularly the successor to Horizon Europe and the proposed European Competitiveness Fund, supplemented by national and private contributions.

Designation as a strategic project would not itself create an entitlement to funding. A separate provision on innovative financing remains a placeholder.

Implementation would largely run through EuroHPC or other relevant EU programmes. A Quantum Strategy Board representing member states would advise the Commission and coordinate priorities, while a European Quantum Alliance would bring together industry and other stakeholders.

The document retains unfinished references and provisions, leaving the financing arrangements and final legislative details open.