Europe Facing the Quantum Challenge: From Ambitions to Action
The nomination of researchers Alain Aspect and Michel Devoret for the 2022 and 2025 Nobel Prizes in Physics, for their work in quantum physics, attests to the enduring vitality of French and European research in this field. While the deployment of technologies stemming from the second quantum revolution is still in its infancy, one might think that strategic patience is called for, and that we must wait for the proliferation of basic research to give way to innovations ready for deployment. That would be a serious mistake, given that the potential for profound transformation inherent in the quantum sector is directly linked to states and organizations’ strategic autonomy.
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Despite the excellence of its research in the quantum sector, Europe lags behind in terms of private funding and patents, and remains vulnerable to predatory risks—foreign equity investments, supply dependencies, and the imposition of standards—that undermine its strategic autonomy.
The “all-startup” model, subject to market pressures and the appetites of non-European investors, cannot alone guarantee mastery of strategic quantum technologies, paving the way for a gradual takeover by Chinese and American rivals.
Following the model of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the establishment of a joint research center, a public-private incubator, and pooled public procurement could provide a pathway to opening up an initial market in strategic segments and protecting European innovations from being absorbed by external players.
Through its future Quantum Act and selective cooperation with like- minded countries, the European Union (EU) could gradually establish itself as a key player in the international governance of quantum standards, before global technological fragmentation permanently limits its room for maneuver.
Europe has grasped this well and is gradually addressing the many challenges associated with this technological evolution. Its ambition, set out in the dedicated strategy of July 2025, is to position itself by 2030 as one of the world leaders alongside the United States and China, backed by member states with established capabilities (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, and Finland). The European Union (EU) nevertheless faces significant challenges, ranging from protecting its quantum ecosystem against internal and external competition to the necessary but slow development of shared infrastructure, and the establishment of an unprecedented regulatory framework.
At a time when the rapid growth of U.S. players is raising fears of new monopolies, when China’s sectoral advances serve its civil-military agenda, and when the “all-startup” model is showing its limits in the EU, European quantum development must be viewed over the long term and take into account the enduring nature of current geopolitical upheavals. This will likely involve establishing preferential partnerships with like-minded countries and leading pioneering efforts in the international governance of these technologies deemed to be of strategic importance.
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Europe Facing the Quantum Challenge: From Ambitions to Action
Author(s)
Benjamin PAJOT
Associate Research Fellow, Center for Geopolitics of Technology, Ifri
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