The second quarter of 2022 was defined by the most consequential U.S. quantum policy action since the National Quantum Initiative Act: President Biden’s signing of National Security Memorandum 10, which directed federal agencies to begin migrating to quantum-resistant cryptography. In parallel, three countries took major steps to scale their national quantum programs. Switzerland launched its CHF 80 million Swiss Quantum Initiative, partly to compensate for exclusion from the EU’s Quantum Flagship. The Netherlands unlocked €228 million in conditional funding for Quantum Delta NL’s second phase. And Singapore stood up a National Quantum Office while committing over S$23.5 million to three new national quantum platforms. Across the Pacific, the AUKUS partners formalized their trilateral quantum arrangement with an initial focus on defense positioning, navigation, and timing.
United States: NSM-10 Directs Federal Migration to Quantum-Resistant Cryptography
What happened. On May 4, 2022, President Biden signed National Security Memorandum 10, titled “Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems.” The memorandum directed federal agencies to begin migrating vulnerable information systems to quantum-resistant cryptography. Agency heads involved with quantum technologies were required to develop technology protection plans by end of 2022, and the NSA was instructed to issue quantum-resistant cryptography migration guidance for National Security Systems within one year. Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies were ordered to conduct cryptographic system inventories and prepare migration plans once NIST published post-quantum standards. On the same day, Executive Order 14073 elevated the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee to a Presidential advisory committee.
Why it matters. NSM-10 is the first binding U.S. directive specifically addressing the cryptographic risk posed by quantum computing. Its significance lies in the operational deadlines it created: agencies now face concrete timelines for inventory, planning, and migration rather than open-ended recommendations. The memorandum’s distinction between National Security Systems (which fall under NSA guidance) and civilian executive branch systems (which follow NIST standards) means two parallel migration tracks will develop. By tying migration action to NIST’s eventual publication of post-quantum standards, the memo also placed NIST’s ongoing standardization process at the center of federal cybersecurity planning. The simultaneous elevation of the NQIAC to Presidential status signals an effort to keep quantum policy advice closer to executive decision-making.
What remains unclear. How agencies will fund cryptographic migration is unspecified. The memorandum sets deadlines but provides no new budget authority, and the scale of federal cryptographic inventory alone is a substantial task. Whether the one-year timeline for NSA to issue guidance for National Security Systems is realistic remains an open question. It is also unclear how defense and intelligence agencies will coordinate their migration with civilian agencies operating on a different schedule.
Who should care. Federal agency CIOs and CISOs responsible for cryptographic system inventories. Federal IT contractors who will face new procurement requirements once migration guidance is issued. Private-sector organizations managing long-lived encrypted data who may look to NSM-10 as a signal of urgency. Standards bodies and cryptographic vendors tracking the post-quantum transition.
AUKUS Partners Formalize Quantum Arrangement with Defense PNT Focus
What happened. On April 5, 2022, the leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States released a fact sheet on AUKUS implementation that formally disclosed the AUKUS Quantum Arrangement (AQuA). The trilateral initiative coordinates research, development, testing, and evaluation of quantum technologies for defense applications. According to the White House, AQuA would “accelerate investments to deliver generation-after-next quantum capabilities” with an initial focus on quantum technologies for positioning, navigation, and timing. The three partners committed to integrating quantum technologies into trials and experimentation over the following three years. AQuA was one of eight working groups under AUKUS Pillar II, expanded from four at the September 2021 announcement.
Why it matters. AQuA represents the most specific defense-focused quantum technology cooperation framework among Western allies. The choice of PNT as the initial focus area is telling: quantum sensing for navigation is closer to operational deployment than quantum computing and addresses a concrete military vulnerability (GPS denial). The expansion of Pillar II from four to eight working groups, with quantum receiving its own dedicated arrangement, indicates the technology has moved from a general “advanced capabilities” category into a defined line of trilateral cooperation. AQuA also creates a potential template for how allied defense establishments structure quantum technology sharing, including the export control and classification challenges that entails.
What remains unclear. The funding commitments behind AQuA are not disclosed. Whether the arrangement includes shared access to quantum hardware or is limited to information exchange and coordinated research is not public. It is also unclear how AQuA will interact with each country’s domestic quantum programs and whether its outputs will feed into broader Five Eyes cooperation.
Who should care. Defense ministries and procurement agencies across the three AUKUS nations. Quantum sensing and PNT companies in Australia, the UK, and the US that may see new defense procurement opportunities. Allied nations outside AUKUS who are watching whether this framework creates a tiered system of access to quantum defense technologies.
Switzerland Launches National Quantum Initiative to Offset Horizon Europe Exclusion
What happened. On May 4, 2022, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the Swiss Quantum Initiative with a budget of approximately CHF 80 million (around USD 83 million) for the 2023-2028 period. The initiative was explicitly described as a response to Switzerland’s loss of full access to the EU’s Horizon Europe framework program, which had excluded Swiss researchers from direct participation in the Quantum Flagship’s second phase. Implementation was assigned to three partners: the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency.
Why it matters. The Swiss case illustrates a recurring tension in quantum policy: when geopolitical or regulatory disputes interrupt multilateral research frameworks, affected countries must build substitutes. Switzerland’s quantum research community, anchored by ETH Zurich and EPFL, is among Europe’s strongest. Being locked out of the Quantum Flagship’s second phase created both a funding gap and a collaboration gap that the SQI is designed to fill. At CHF 80 million over six years, the initiative is modestly sized by the standards of leading national quantum programs (the Netherlands’ Quantum Delta NL program was backed by €615 million, for instance), but it targets a country with an already mature research base rather than building one from scratch. The inclusion of Innosuisse alongside basic research funders signals an intention to push results toward commercialization.
What remains unclear. Whether CHF 80 million is sufficient to maintain Switzerland’s competitive position relative to EU Quantum Flagship participants who can access both national and European funding streams. How the initiative will handle international collaboration given that the Horizon Europe exclusion limits Swiss participation in some of the most relevant European consortia. Whether a political resolution of the broader Swiss-EU institutional framework dispute could eventually restore Horizon Europe access, potentially making the SQI supplementary rather than compensatory.
Who should care. Swiss quantum researchers and startups who need clarity on domestic funding availability. European quantum industry partners who previously collaborated with Swiss institutions under EU programs. Other non-EU countries (the UK, Israel, South Korea) watching how exclusion from EU research frameworks shapes national strategy decisions.
Netherlands Unlocks €228 Million for Quantum Delta NL Phase 2
What happened. On April 14, 2022, the National Growth Fund Committee approved Phase 2 of the Quantum Delta NL program, unlocking €228 million (approximately $240 million) in conditional funding. This release was part of the original €615 million award from April 2021, contingent on meeting Phase 1 milestones. The funding was designated to scale up existing activities, advance campus development across the Netherlands, and launch a €15 million Seed Fund for quantum startups. Cited achievements from Phase 1 included a world-first multi-node quantum network and the start of construction on the House of Quantum headquarters in Delft.
Why it matters. The Netherlands continues to operate one of the most concentrated quantum investment programs in Europe, and the Phase 2 release confirms that the conditional funding model is functioning as designed: milestones met, money released. The Seed Fund for startups is a practical addition to an ecosystem that has generated notable spin-offs but has sometimes lacked early-stage capital. The multi-node quantum network achievement, a technical milestone from QuTech, also gives the program a concrete demonstration result to justify continued investment. At €615 million total, Quantum Delta NL remains the largest single national quantum investment program in the EU, and its campus-based approach (concentrating activity in Delft, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Leiden, and Twente) offers a test of whether geographic clustering accelerates quantum technology development.
What remains unclear. What specific conditions must be met to release remaining tranches beyond Phase 2. Whether the Seed Fund’s €15 million will be sufficient to meaningfully address the startup capital gap in quantum hardware, where development cycles are long and capital requirements high. How Quantum Delta NL’s infrastructure development coordinates with the broader European quantum ecosystem, including EuroHPC’s quantum computing deployments.
Who should care. Quantum startups in the Netherlands and across Europe evaluating access to the Seed Fund. European policymakers designing their own national quantum programs who may look to the Dutch conditional-funding model. Institutional investors tracking quantum technology commercialization in Europe.
Singapore Stands Up National Quantum Office and Launches Three National Platforms
What happened. Singapore took two structural steps during the quarter. In April 2022, it established the National Quantum Office (NQO) within A*STAR, with support from the National Research Foundation, to coordinate quantum RIE activities and drive implementation of a national quantum strategy. On May 31, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the launch of three national quantum platforms at the Asia Tech x Singapore conference: the National Quantum Computing Hub, the National Quantum Fabless Foundry, and the National Quantum-Safe Network. The three platforms received at least S$23.5 million (USD 17 million) from the Quantum Engineering Programme. The computing hub, a joint initiative of CQT, A*STAR, and the National Supercomputing Centre, planned to host Singapore’s first quantum computer.
Why it matters. Singapore’s approach in Q2 2022 shifted from supporting individual research groups to building national-level coordination and shared infrastructure. The NQO provides a single point of coordination that was previously absent, while the three platforms create shared resources in computing, fabrication, and communications security. For a city-state with a relatively small research community, this model of centralized coordination with specialized platforms avoids duplication and creates defined entry points for industry collaboration. The Quantum-Safe Network, already conducting nationwide QKD trials, positions Singapore as an early mover in quantum communications deployment, ahead of most countries that are still at the strategy-writing stage for quantum-safe networks.
What remains unclear. Whether S$23.5 million over three and a half years is adequate to stand up all three platforms at a meaningful operational scale, particularly the computing hub’s ambition to host Singapore’s first quantum computer. How the NQO will interact with existing bodies like the Centre for Quantum Technologies, which has operated since 2007 with over USD 200 million in cumulative funding. Whether the platforms will attract private-sector participation beyond the initial public investment.
Who should care. Quantum technology companies considering Asia-Pacific market entry who may use Singapore’s platforms as testbeds. Regional policymakers in ASEAN countries observing Singapore’s coordinated model. Defense and communications agencies evaluating quantum-safe network approaches.
Japan Publishes Vision of Quantum Future Society with 2030 Targets
What happened. On April 22, 2022, Japan’s Integrated Innovation Strategy Promotion Council published the Vision of Quantum Future Society, expanding on the 2020 Quantum Technology and Innovation Strategy. The document set three targets for 2030: reaching 10 million quantum technology users in Japan, achieving ¥50 trillion in quantum technology-related production, and creating quantum unicorn companies. It established a hybrid approach integrating quantum and classical systems, called for accelerating adoption through testbed development, and supported the emergence of quantum-related startups. A revised technology roadmap with milestones for 2025, 2030, and 2040 across quantum computing, sensing, and communication was published concurrently.
Why it matters. Japan’s vision document is notable for its specificity. The 10-million-user target implies a focus on quantum computing access through cloud platforms rather than domestic hardware alone, and the ¥50 trillion production target frames quantum as an economic sector with measurable output, not just a research priority. The emphasis on hybrid quantum-classical systems reflects a pragmatic reading of where near-term value lies. Japan’s identification of quantum technology as critical for economic security under the Kishida administration’s growth strategy also places quantum alongside semiconductors and other technologies receiving heightened government attention. The revised roadmap with specific year-by-year milestones provides a basis for measuring progress, something many national strategies lack.
What remains unclear. How the 10-million-user target will be measured, and whether it encompasses users of quantum-inspired classical algorithms alongside true quantum computing. What level of new funding will accompany the vision beyond existing commitments. How Japan’s quantum unicorn ambition will be supported given the country’s historically cautious venture capital environment relative to the United States.
Who should care. Japanese industry looking for government signals on quantum technology adoption timelines. International quantum computing companies evaluating the Japanese market for cloud-based services. Policymakers in other countries comparing target-setting approaches for their own national strategies.
Also in April-June 2022
The United States signed bilateral Joint Statements on Cooperation in Quantum Information Science and Technology with three countries during the quarter: Finland on April 5, Sweden on April 8, and Denmark on June 7. These were part of a broader pattern of bilateral quantum agreements, bringing the total number of such U.S. statements to eleven.
At the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo on May 24, Australia, India, Japan, and the United States identified quantum technologies as the next focus area for their horizon-scanning cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, signaling that the grouping’s technology agenda is expanding beyond semiconductors and 5G.
Qatar’s Barzan Holdings, the state-owned defense and industrial provider, awarded a USD 10 million grant to Hamad Bin Khalifa University to establish the Qatar Center for Quantum Computing (QC2), the first dedicated quantum research center in the country. The defense origin of the funding links Qatar’s quantum ambitions to its broader national security modernization.
Poland established the Quantum Technologies Cluster on May 23, bringing together nineteen scientific and commercial entities at the University of Warsaw. The cluster, supported by quantum cryptography pioneer Artur Ekert, is designed to coordinate quantum research and industry development across the country, joining seven universities and eleven companies. Separately, Argentina created an inter-institutional program for quantum science and technology in June, establishing an advisory council drawn from four national institutions and three universities to produce a quantum development roadmap.
Extended analytical treatment of each development in this briefing, including cross-jurisdictional comparisons, timeline tracking, and sector-specific assessments, is available to Quantum Policy Radar subscribers.