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  • 🔵 The Quantum Insider Weekly | Europe Urgency, NIST Makes Congressional List, And More News.

🔵 The Quantum Insider Weekly | Europe Urgency, NIST Makes Congressional List, And More News.

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FROM THE EDITOR.

Congratulations to QuintessenceLabs, which announced a successful fund raise.

The Australian government anted up $15 million AUD from the National Reconstruction Fund to support Canberra-based company.

Beyond congratulating the startup for successfully raising funds to help the company build its quantum-based encryption tools, we’d also like to congratulate the government for supporting the important Australian quantum ecosystem. When it comes to deep tech startups like QuintessenceLabs, patient investors must step up to commercialize quantum technology. There’s no other way around it.

Because quantum technologies are complex, difficult to communicate, and unpredictable in terms of commercialization timelines, they may not be the most popular investments for voters. For officials and policymakers, it takes courage and vision. In the long run, public investment is a key lever to accelerate the development of these important technologies and realize their benefits.

Switching gears here, I would like to thank everyone for playing along with us on our Q™ April Fool’s prank. Or should that be PranQ™?

Have a great weekend!

— Matt, Chief Content Officer at The Quantum Insider

INSIDER BRIEF.

ANALYST NOTES.

The Noteworthy & Nuanced

Pushing for utility-scale quantum computing results by 2033, DARPA has selected 18 quantum companies for the first phase of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. The candidates (along with 3 yet to be announced names) will undergo technical validation, research plan reviews, and independent hardware testing. It’s exciting to see multiple modalities explored, indicating that any hype will be sifted through with the Sieve of Sciene to establish real-world performance.

One of the companies on the list, Quantinuum, has a second reason for celebration this week. Its Quantum Origin solution has become the first software-based quantum random number generator (QRNG) to receive validation from NIST. This milestone positions it as a vital tool for U.S. federal agencies transitioning to post-quantum cryptography. The software, math-based randomness also provides benefits to scalability when compared to hardware QRNGs.

IQM, oddly not on DARPA’s list, is seeking to raise over €128M in funding. With $210 million raised to date, IQM is Europe’s second-best-funded quantum hardware firm outside Big Tech. Known for its full-stack superconducting quantum computers and in-house chip production, IQM operates a factory with annual capacity for 20 systems. Given the company’s growth and prominence in Europe, perhaps we will see it as one of the 3 remaining names from DARPA? — Alan Kanapin, Analyst at The Quantum Insider

The Research Rundown

This week in quantum tech research and use cases, quantum helps us define the boundary between pattern recognition and physical reality. Pasqal’s quantum graph neural network sidesteps the brittle nature of traditional models by using quantum circuits that perform regardless of complexity and used as as flexible framework that handles atomic graphs like they’re natural language—structured, variable, and full of local meaning. In a field often caught between elegance and scalability, this feels like a rare alignment of both.

Even more exciting, a new theory out of Howard suggests that cells may be using quantum superradiance to process information faster than biochemical signals allow. In other words, your neurons may already be using effects we’ve only just begun to design in hardware. At the opposite extreme, a paper on black holes proposes they’re not just information sinks—but perfect quantum decoherence engines. The idea that gravity could scrub superpositions clean ties spacetime geometry directly to quantum information loss.

Across scales—from subcellular computation to cosmic collapse—the week’s research points to a throughline that those of us in this space already advocate, which is quantum effects may not be rare, but fundamental. And we’re only just learning how to listen. Cierra Choucair, Journalist & Analyst at The Quantum Insider

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➡️ A new strategy paper from the European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) warns that Europe’s quantum edge is eroding, with private investment falling 40% in 2023–2024 while U.S. capital surged.

➡️ QuIC calls for a coordinated effort across quantum hardware, software, and supply chains — backed by increased EU funding, sovereign tech development, and stronger public-private partnerships.

➡️ Despite current funding gaps, Europe leads in quantum talent, scientific output, and core infrastructure like EuroHPC and the EU Quantum Pact — a foundation unmatched anywhere else.

➡️ The paper recommends bold new measures, including a ‘Made-in-Europe’ quantum stack, a European Quantum Supply Chain Alliance, and patent-linked funding incentives to secure long-term competitiveness.

Analyst Commentary

Historically, Europe sparked the quantum revolution. But without immediate, systemic action, it risks becoming a training ground for quantum engineers who build their companies elsewhere. That’s the stark warning from QuIC’s new white paper — and the proposed solutions mark a shift from academic pride to industrial urgency.

The report’s tone is blunt: world-class talent and research mean little without capital, scale, and control over the supply chain. While Europe is without question a leader in producing quantum PhDs and publications, its start-ups are underfunded, its IP underprotected, and its hardware supply chain deeply reliant on foreign components. The result? A continent strong in theory, but losing leverage in practice.

QuIC’s strategy centers on building a sovereign quantum stack — one that spans chips, cryogenics, software, and cloud access. This includes modular gate-based and analog systems, alongside hybrid integration with HPC and AI. Key programs provide a foothold, but the vision demands scale: industrial-grade fabrication, middleware for hybrid workflows, and a new layer of certification, benchmarking, and standards, all made in Europe.

Strategic autonomy runs through the entire report. Europe, it argues, must not only produce quantum technology — it must own the choke points. That means funding nodes in the supply chain where others depend on European-made tools, and deploying geoeconomic leverage to protect and promote its tech base.

This also means thinking financially. The report underscores that no venture capital firm in Europe routinely leads €100M+ rounds — a structural hole that forces promising scale-ups abroad. QuIC’s proposal to ring-fence EU funds for quantum, expand the EIC’s budget, and create a dedicated quantum fund aims to close that hole before more founders follow the money west.

What emerges is a roadmap for full-stack sovereignty, but also a warning: the window is closing. If Europe can’t fund, fabricate, and federate its quantum ambitions by 2030, it may cede the future to more aggressive ecosystems. That’s why QuIC also emphasizes legal harmonization, talent visas, IP incentives and dual-use innovation to keep momentum at home.

There’s a bigger picture, too. Quantum isn’t just a technological horse race — it’s a test of internationalism. Many of the challenges in quantum computing, sensing, and secure communication are too complex for siloed national efforts. Yet as political winds shift toward techno-nationalism, the vision of a globally integrated quantum ecosystem is fading.

Europe was the birthplace of quantum theory. It leads in people, papers, and platforms. But leadership now demands execution. Without coordinated investment and supply chain control, invention alone won’t save its edge. Still, the vision of a globally collaborative quantum future should not be abandoned — because in this field, no nation can go it alone for long.

DATA SPOTLIGHT.

Oxford researchers have demonstrated a 25-nanosecond controlled-Z (CZ) gate with 99.8% fidelity, making it one of the fastest and most accurate two-qubit gates to date. Using a simplified superconducting circuit design with opposite anharmonicity qubits, they eliminated the need for tunable couplers, reducing hardware complexity. The team leveraged a third quantum state to achieve a √2 speed-up, confirming it experimentally. This result pushes gate performance well into fault-tolerant territory without sacrificing simplicity, marking a major milestone for scalable quantum computing.

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS.

📈 DARPA has selected 18 companies (including IBM, IonQ, and Xanadu) for the first phase of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, aiming to determine whether any can build a fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computer by 2033. The multi-stage program marks a strategic shift toward rigorous performance validation, emphasizing credible roadmaps and independent hardware testing to separate hype from viable pathways to scalable quantum systems.

💵 SandboxAQ has raised over $450 million in a Series E round, bringing its total funding to more than $950 million since spinning out from Alphabet in 2022—to scale its Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) across sectors like biopharma, cybersecurity, and finance. Backers now include Ray Dalio, Google, NVIDIA, BNP Paribas, and Horizon Kinetics, signaling strong confidence in SandboxAQ’s blend of AI and quantum-driven enterprise solutions.

🤝 A new report from India’s Observer Research Foundation suggests that India and Taiwan could deepen quantum tech collaboration to sidestep restrictive export controls and strengthen diplomatic ties. With India’s $730M National Quantum Mission and Taiwan’s growing hardware and PQC ecosystem, the partnership could unlock joint R&D, academic exchange, and supply chain development—positioning both nations as strategic players in the global quantum landscape.

🇺🇸 A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce report urges immediate federal action to accelerate quantum technology commercialization, adopt post-quantum cryptographic standards, and build a skilled workforce to maintain national competitiveness. Without coordinated investment, regulatory clarity, and international cooperation, the U.S. risks falling behind in a global quantum race that affects cybersecurity, supply chains, and national defense.

⚡️ PhotonDelta and Silicon Catalyst have announced a partnership to support early-stage photonics startups by combining PhotonDelta’s $1.5B-backed integrated photonics ecosystem with Silicon Catalyst’s global semiconductor incubator. The collaboration provides startups with access to technical expertise, funding, and commercialization support.

🔎 The Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme has entered its Pathfinder Phase, outlining a structured, metric-driven roadmap to achieve utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2035. Through its Mission Ladder, mission-aligned project management, and data-driven workflows, the program integrates hardware and algorithm development while using machine learning to optimize system design across a wide range of qubit modalities.

💰️ Australia has invested AUD$15 million (approximately $9.4 million) into quantum cybersecurity firm QuintessenceLabs through its National Reconstruction Fund, becoming the lead investor in a AUD$20 million (approximately $12.5 million) round. The funding will support domestic manufacturing and global expansion of the company’s quantum-based encryption tools.

🇨🇭 Switzerland will expand export controls to cover dual-use emerging technologies like quantum computing, AI, and semiconductors, aligning with global efforts to prevent misuse while supporting domestic innovation. This move mirrors similar actions by the U.S. and France, reflecting a broader shift toward regulating sensitive tech with both security and competitiveness in mind.

🇪🇺 A new strategy paper from the European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) warns that Europe risks falling behind in quantum technology without urgent, coordinated investment and policy action. The report highlights sharp funding declines, supply chain vulnerabilities, and IP gaps, urging the EU to build a full-stack, domestically sourced quantum ecosystem and expand support for startups, standards, and strategic autonomy.

EVENTS.

April 14 -- C4IR Saudi Arabia, in partnership with KACST and Saudi Aramco, will host Discovering Quantum Possibilities in Riyadh, to mark World Quantum Day and the UN’s International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The event will bring together global leaders from academia, government, and industry, as well as announce winners of the “UpLink Quantum for Society” challenge.

April 14 -- The 2025 Global Industry Challenge officially launches on World Quantum Day, bringing together innovators, researchers, and industry leaders to tackle real-world problems in life sciences, financial services, energy, and beyond

April 14-16 -- QuantumTech Washington D.C. April 15-16 - Main Conference and Expo. April 14 - Cryptography Spotlight Day. Conrad Hotel, Washington D.C.

May 13-14 -- The Economist Impact's 4th Annual Commercialising Quantum Global 2025 at London UK. Be among 1000+ leading quantum professionals, global leaders, policy makers, business executives and more to attend this in-person event in London.

May 14-15 -- Q2B Tokyo 2025 The conference will cover a broad range of quantum technology themes including QC Computing, Communications & Sensing, Quantum AI, Error Correction, & Quantum in HPC.

May 20-22 -- Join us for the 3rd annual IQT Nordics, May 20-22, 2025 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and contribute to scaling quantum computers towards real world applications.

June 9-12 -- Adiabatic Quantum Computing (AQC) 2025 Conference will be held at the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada from June 9-12, 2025. The AQC conference series, now in its 14th year, is an annual international gathering of researchers working on diverse aspects of quantum computing.

June 18-19 -- Quantum Now|ICI Quantique will be held in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Sept. 29-Oct. 1 -- Quantum.Tech Europe is taking place in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The event will bring together the whole quantum supply chain to drive forward the commercial applications of Quantum Technologies. 

October 8 -- The Fifth Anniversary of The City Quantum & AI Summit at the Mansion House in the City of London takes place this year with the subtitle Race for Growth.

Dec. 1-4 -- QUEST-IS 2025 Quantum Engineering Sciences and Technologies for Industry and Services From Quantum Engineering to Applications for Citizens. EDF Lab, Paris-Saclay, France