Global quantum and photonics technology development

Global investments in quantum and photonics technologies are expanding through academic and governmental initiatives in the United States and the United Kingdom.

In the United States, the University of Maryland is increasing its quantum science capacity through a $7.5 million partnership expansion with IonQ and increased access to IBM quantum processors. Additionally, the National Science Foundation has awarded a $37.5 million grant renewal to the University of Maryland-led NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute to advance fault-tolerant quantum simulation. Regional developments also include a new Microsoft quantum research center and a partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Agency to establish the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub.

In the United Kingdom, a £12.6 million research programme titled Materials Engineering for Advanced Devices (MEAD) has been launched. Led by the University of Manchester in collaboration with Imperial College London and the University of Leeds, the five-year initiative focuses on translating atomic-scale research into practical devices for secure communications, next-generation sensing, and scalable computing. The project aims to develop highly sensitive masers and quantum sensors capable of detecting minute gravitational changes.