UK risks being left behind in quantum computing

Cuts to public spending on quantum computing research risk “squandering decades of investment” and could leave Britain relying on other countries to share the benefits of the breakthrough technology, the founders of a leading start-up in the field have claimed.

Ashley Montanaro and Toby Cubitt, two of the three co-founders of Phasecraft, a company that emerged from University College London and the University of Bristol, said the technology was at a “critical juncture”. The government’s decision in August to withdraw £1.3 billion of investment in technology and AI projects promised by the Conservatives had unnerved the industry, they said.

With venture capital investment in the sector also declining this year, when compared with last year, concerns are growing over Britain’s ability to compete with the United States and China.

Cubitt, Phasecraft’s chief technology officer, said: “Those countries leading the way will not only be amongst the first to reap the direct benefits of this quantum computing, but also will be able to capitalise on the underpinning technical, manufacturing and commercial capabilities developed as part of the process.

“Those left behind will be left in a position where access to quantum computing, and the ability to unlock advances across many sectors through their use, will be entirely dependent on the goodwill of others.”

Montanaro, the company’s chief executive, said: “Governments continue to be the main source of support for start-ups, providing twice as much on average, a critical factor that the US and China understand, having both invested heavily in quantum.”

Phasecraft, founded in 2019, develops algorithms to move quantum computing from experimental demonstrations to useful applications. It has raised $21 million in external capital, including from the venture capital firms Playground Global, LocalGlobe, and the UCL Technology Fund.

It has published eight scientific papers about its work in Nature magazine in the past fours years and expanded to America his year when it hired Steve Flammia, previously the principal research scientist at the Amazon Web Services Center for Quantum Computing.

Montanaro and Cubitt have set out their concerns in a paper that calls on the government to strike a better balance on investment and regulation, as well as to encourage collaboration and create a deeper skills base in the UK. More than a quarter of a million people are already employed within the British quantum sector.

The paper states that it is “critical that public investment is maintained until that time in which the sector is able to support itself. Failure to do so will not only compromise our ability to compete globally in quantum computing, but will also risk squandering decades of investment in the field”.

Quantum computing has long promised to revolutionise complex problem-solving, with systems developed by the likes of Google and IBM beating the world’s best supercomputers. Applications could include new drug discovery and developing materials for battery storage, as well as to optimise energy grids to better incorporate renewable sources. Phasecraft recently won a £1 million government contract to develop quantum algorithms to optimise energy grids.

McKinsey, the consultancy, estimates that the four sectors most likely to see the earliest impact from quantum computing are chemicals, life sciences, finance and mobility. They could generate gains of up to $2 trillion globally by 2035. Quantum computing by itself could account for nearly $1.3 trillion in value by the same year.

Cubitt said: “The intuitively simple step of replacing a classical bit with a quantum one is enough to completely transform the capabilities of a computer, opening up a range of applications that were previously beyond reach, from computer-driven materials design to the ability to understand and predict the behaviour of complex, many-body systems, such as those that appear in nature.

“For decades, scientists around the world, often supported through ambitious government programmes, have strived to deliver the promise of quantum computing and, with the recent progress made in both algorithms and hardware, it is now within reach.”

The entrepreneurs also warned governments against imposing regulations designed to stifle international collaboration on quantum computing research: “Regulators also need to remember that never in the history of progress has it been possible to stop the juggernaut of innovation. Putting up barriers may slow it down, but innovation will always find a way to move forward.

“It’s better to be on the side of history that enables this innovation in the most responsible and balanced way possible, rather than being left behind; to mitigate the negative impacts, rather than try to stop it.”

The £1.3 billion in funding includes £800 million for the creation of a next-generation supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh and £500 million of extra cash for the AI Research Resource, a scheme that helps to fund computing power for AI.

A Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology spokesperson said: “We are absolutely committed to our transformative quantum sector, with a key focus on quantum computing. We have recently announced £100 million funding for five new quantum research hubs, including a quantum computing hub based in the University of Oxford which will advance UK capabilities across both hardware and software.

“Whilst future R&D funding is still to be determined, the government will take a long-term approach to funding cycles, giving researchers the certainty they need to keep the UK at the forefront of global innovation.’’