In the era of digital transformation quantum technologies represent a new challenge for the society, industries, governmental sector. The benefits and consequences of the adoption of quantum technologies have yet to be fully explored. In this context the role these technologies will play in urban context is essential to explore. The present study examines the European Union’s quantum initiatives and its vision of the possible applications of quantum solutions. This study applies these considerations to the European urban context and explores it through the prism of public values created by the smart cities and smart city dimensions. The findings of this research highlight the socio-technical implications and transformative potential of quantum technologies on European smart urban environments and offer strategic insights for urban planners, policymakers, and city managers to prepare for the opportunities presented by quantum technologies.
In the era of digital transformation quantum technologies represent a new challenge for the society, industries, governmental sector. The benefits and consequences of the adoption of quantum technologies have yet to be fully explored. In this context the role these technologies will play in urban context is essential to explore. The present study examines the European Union’s quantum initiatives and its vision of the possible applications of quantum solutions. This study applies these considerations to the European urban context and explores it through the prism of public values created by the smart cities and smart city dimensions. The findings of this research highlight the socio-technical implications and transformative potential of quantum technologies on European smart urban environments and offer strategic insights for urban planners, policymakers, and city managers to prepare for the opportunities presented by quantum technologies.
Abstract. Quantum sensing technologies provide future cities with unimaginable techniques for solving their complex problems. Quantum sensors, through the utilization of quantum effects such as superposition, entanglement, and tunneling, can provide an unmatched level of sensitivity, precision, and durability against traditional sensing technologies. This study explores the potential applications of quantum sensing in four critical urban infrastructure domains: water, energy, transport, and construction. Throughout this study, we determine the most promising quantum sensing technologies for each domain. Besides, we discuss the technical progress of these sensors and the advantages they have in comparison with classical devices, as well as the organizational issues cities can face when implementing these sensors. Our results indicate that quantum sensing will be a critical enabler of future smart cities, generating advanced monitoring, control, and decision-making capabilities across various sectors. Nevertheless, taking advantage of this potential will demand the close partnership of cities, industry, academia, and policymakers to guide the complicated adoption process.
The increasing complexity of urban environments necessitates computational advancements beyond the capabilities of classical systems. Traditional computing frameworks, grounded in a Newtonian worldview, face significant limitations in addressing critical urban challenges such as traffic optimization, energy distribution, and governance. Emerging technological paradigms seek to overcome these constraints by integrating quantum computing, quantum theory, and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance urban intelligence and efficiency. One such paradigm is “Quantum AI Urbanism,” an interdisciplinary approach that leverages quantum principles such as superposition and entanglement to enable faster data processing, enhanced machine learning capabilities, and quantum-secure cryptography. By unlocking new computational potentials, this approach offers transformative possibilities for reimagining city infrastructure, governance, and citizen engagement. This article introduces the layered framework of quantum AI urbanism, outlining its core components, applications, and implications for city management. It highlights the transformative potential of quantum AI in reshaping urban infrastructure, governance, and citizen engagement while acknowledging the barriers that must be addressed for large-scale implementation. By establishing a foundational understanding of quantum AI urbanism, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the future of smart cities and provides insights into the pathways for integrating quantum computing and AI into urban systems.
Quantum technologies are likely to raise significant benefits but also challenges to the continued development of smart cities. This paper looks at one of the more operationally ready of the quantum technologies, namely quantum sensing, and considers some of the opportunities and challenges facing city planners if they wish to introduce the capabilities of quantum sensing. The paper briefly outlines the evolution of quantum technologies and where quantum sensing fits in the quantum portfolio. It then considers two quantum sensing capabilities in more detail, namely the use of quantum sensing in navigation and in detection. The paper then describes the attributes of smart cities and discusses the opportunities and challenges of the introduction of these two quantum sensing capabilities, and outlines potential mitigation strategies to optimize the benefits while addressing the challenges.
Quantum computing has emerged as a transformative computational paradigm with the potential to redefine problem-solving across scientific, industrial, and governmental domains. Europe has positioned itself as a key contributor to this technological evolution through coordinated research frameworks, infrastructure investments, and policy-driven initiatives. This paper presents an architecture-oriented study of quantum computing advancements in Europe, focusing on system-level design, technological integration, and strategic ecosystem development. By synthesizing existing literature, including foundational theories, hardware innovations, algorithmic developments, and policy frameworks, the study develops a structured understanding of European quantum architectures. The research further examines interoperability between quantum and classical systems, the role of quantum accelerators, and the integration of quantum communication infrastructures. A methodological framework is proposed to evaluate architectural maturity, scalability, and resilience. The findings reveal that Europe’s approach emphasizes modular architectures, hybrid quantum-classical systems, and secure communication networks, supported by institutional initiatives and collaborative research programs. However, challenges remain in scalability, error correction, and industrial adoption. The study contributes to the field by providing a comprehensive architectural perspective and identifying future research directions for optimizing quantum computing deployment within the European context.
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.
Conventional smart city technologies are based on typical von Neumann architectures in which single units of data are coded in the form of either “0” or “1.” Novel urban quantum technologies, on the other hand, are based on the fundamental principles of quantum physics and, thus, transcend the conventions of classic computer architectures. Although having substantial technological potential and managerial relevance for smart cities of the near future, they are still rarely investigated in smart city literature and, in general, as a breakthrough business model. Moreover, no scholarly articles exist on the potential contributions of quantum technologies to different facets of conventional smart city technologies, for example, cloud computing, AI, and blockchain. This article aims to bridge the ontological gap between the two types of urban technology. Accordingly, we perform a detailed thematic synthesis of two types of quantum technologies having the highest implementation potential within different urban infrastructures and, more generally, for thriving urban techno-systems: quantum computing and quantum communication. This is achieved through a semi-systematic literature review of 80 scholarly documents on the topic within the domain of social sciences. Then, we establish a comprehensive taxonomy of conventional (non-quantum) smart city technologies based on a lexical analysis of over 500 abstracts of scholarly documents on different technological aspects of smart cities. Finally, we relate the two classes of technologies—conventional smart city technologies, and urban quantum technologies—through quantitative content analysis of 80 papers identified and retrieved for the prior thematic synthesis. For this goal, principal component analysis is performed, complemented by agglomerative hierarchical clustering.