Over the past decades, a gradual technological marginalisation of Europe could be observed, as it became dependent on imports of advanced microchips from the United States and Taiwan. However, despite planned investments in the development and production of semiconductors in the EU Member States, Europe is still unlikely to be able to compete with the United States and China in this area. The solution to this problem may lie within quantum technology, the economic use of which is in the initial phase in all world centres. The performance of quantum computing surpasses algorithms used in silicon technology by several tens of orders of magnitude. This means that access to quantum technology will become a basic determinant of security in the coming years. The aim of this paper is to present the issue of quantum technology and its most important implicationsin the context of the technological sovereignty of the European Union.
Over the past decades, a gradual technological marginalisation of Europe could be observed, as it became dependent on imports of advanced microchips from the United States and Taiwan. However, despite planned investments in the development and production of semiconductors in the EU Member States, Europe is still unlikely to be able to compete with the United States and China in this area. The solution to this problem may lie within quantum technology, the economic use of which is in the initial phase in all world centres. The performance of quantum computing surpasses algorithms used in silicon technology by several tens of orders of magnitude. This means that access to quantum technology will become a basic determinant of security in the coming years. The aim of this paper is to present the issue of quantum technology and its most important implicationsin the context of the technological sovereignty of the European Union.
Quantum cybersecurity has emerged as a critical strategic issue at the intersection of national security, technological advancement, and digital sovereignty. As quantum computing technology advances toward practical implementation, the dual-edged nature of this revolutionary technology becomes increasingly apparent: while quantum computers threaten to break traditional encryption methods like RSA and ECC, they simultaneously promise to enable quantum-resistant algorithms through post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This comprehensive analysis examines the current state of quantum cybersecurity threats, the global investment landscape in quantum technologies, the vulnerability of critical sectors, and the urgent need for proactive migration to quantum-safe solutions. With NIST’s finalization of post-quantum cryptography standards in 2024 and projected quantum threats materializing by 2030, organizations across defense, finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure must accelerate their transition to quantum-resistant technologies. The geopolitical implications are profound, with China, the United States, and European Union engaging in an unprecedented quantum arms race that will determine future cybersecurity leadership and technological sovereignty.
This chapter explores the transformative effect of quantum technologies in the European Union (EU), emphasising their impact on digital sovereignty and drawing conclusions from the securitisation process. Moreover, the chapter offers a historical overview of quantum-related policy in the EU, distinguishing three phases: inception (2016–2018), consolidation (2019–2022), and strategic awakening (2023-present). The analysis discusses how the EU’s engagement with quantum technologies has been shaped by internal political dynamics and strategic needs, leading to increased public investment and initiatives aimed at harnessing and securing these technologies.
Quantum information science and technology is a vast field that includes computing, telecommunications, detection and sensors, with a wide range of applications. Taken together, these technologies promise to revolutionise our information systems. The significant advances in quantum technologies in recent years, and their implications for security and the economy in particular, have created a real momentum of interest among governments, including in Europe. Despite the impressive advances made by the two giants, China and the United States, and unlike most other digital technologies, Europe (in the geographical sense) is well placed in the global race for quantum technologies. On this promising basis, can Europe hope to achieve technological sovereignty in quantum technology? There are two main challenges: firstly, reconciling the objective of sovereignty with international cooperation, and secondly, ensuring that any quantum strategy is rooted in a holistic, long-term perspective.
Quantum technologies constitute a major area of interest with real issues leading to new disruptive applications. Their mastery will give their designers a definite advantage, whether in the fields of communications, health, security, energy, space, the environment, etc. The United States, China, Europe, India and many other countries are opening research programs and promote investments with a view to acquiring certain technological sovereignty. My previous paper briefly exposed quantum technologies. In this new paper, after a reminder of the strategic context, the application domains of quantum computing, with some examples in the defense and security sectors, are presented. Elements of analysis of existing investments and ecosystems are presented. The images or figures in the article are the property of their cited authors. References are given at the end of each chapter.
Quantum technologies represent a new agenda that has the potential to fundamentally change the security environment on aglobal scale. Countries or groups of countries that adopt these technologies before others will be at an advantage. The aim ofthe authors was to provide an overview of the current status of creating conditions for the development of quantum technologies in selected Central European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia). The studymaps the conceptual, organisational and technical situation in this area, focusing on the five North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states and the European Union. As a result of the investigation, it is found that the complexity of quantum technologies requires cooperation at two levels. The first level is undoubtedly cooperation between the state sector,scientific organisations, the defence sector and multinational companies. The second level is cooperation between individual states or within international organisations. Regarding the security aspects of these technologies, cooperation based on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and European Union is crucial. Ensuring technological superiority in the coming years is a big challenge for the United States of America, resp. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union.
Abstract Quantum computing research and development efforts have grown dramatically over the past decades, led in part by initiatives from governments around the world. Government quantum computing investments are often driven by national security or digital sovereignty concerns, with the language used depending on the geography involved. For example, a focus on “national security” and quantum computing is prominent in the USA, while European countries regularly focus on “digital sovereignty”. These phrases are often loosely defined and open to interpretation, and they share some common motivations and characteristics (but also have important differences). This paper identifies specific governmental entities typifying the national security/digital sovereignty perspectives, along with these organisations’ respective roles within national and international policy engagement in quantum computing. It analyses governmental structures, historical developments and cultural characteristics that contributed to this national security–digital sovereignty divide. Building on this analysis, we use the history of other technologies to illustrate how we might adapt tested policy approaches to modern political dynamics and to quantum computing specifically. We frame these policy approaches so that they do not overemphasise “digital sovereignty” or “national security”, but rather address interests shared across both concepts, with a view to facilitating international collaboration.