The second quarter of 2023 saw a concentrated wave of national quantum strategies and large-scale funding commitments across three continents. India approved a $730 million National Quantum Mission, Germany published a €3 billion action plan, South Korea unveiled a KRW 3 trillion investment strategy through 2035, and Australia released its first national quantum strategy with AU$101.2 million in immediate budget backing. In parallel, the G7 and Quad summits in Hiroshima produced signals on export controls and investment coordination that will shape the terms of international quantum commerce for years to come.
India Approves National Quantum Mission With $730 Million Through 2031
What happened. On April 19, 2023, the Indian Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission at a total cost of ₹6,003.65 crore (approximately $730 million) covering the period 2023-24 to 2030-31. The mission targets developing intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50 to 1,000 physical qubits in eight years, using superconducting and photonic platforms. Additional goals include satellite-based quantum communications over 2,000 km and inter-city quantum key distribution. Four Thematic Hubs will be established at top academic and national R&D institutes. Two weeks earlier, the EU-India Trade and Technology Council held its first ministerial meeting, with both sides committing to quantum and HPC cooperation.
Why it matters. India’s NQM is one of the largest single quantum funding commitments of 2023, placing India alongside the United States, China, and European states with dedicated national quantum missions. The eight-year timeline is long enough to allow institutional capacity to develop but raises questions about disbursement velocity: past Indian science missions have experienced delays between Cabinet approval and actual fund flows. The emphasis on satellite-based quantum communications is notable, positioning India alongside China as one of the few countries with explicit space-quantum integration targets. The EU-India TTC meeting adds a geopolitical dimension, creating a formal channel for quantum cooperation between India and Europe at a time when both are also deepening ties with the United States through the Quad.
What remains unclear. Which institutions will host the four Thematic Hubs, and on what timeline will they become operational? How will the mission coordinate with the Department of Science and Technology’s existing quantum programs? Whether the $730 million figure represents new money or includes previously committed funds has not been publicly clarified.
Who should care. Indian research institutions competing for hub designation, international quantum hardware companies seeking partnerships in the Indian market, defense and space agencies with interests in satellite-based quantum communications, and foreign governments assessing India’s positioning as a Quad partner in critical technologies.
Germany Publishes €3 Billion Action Plan for Quantum Technologies
What happened. On April 26, 2023, the German federal government published its Action Plan for Quantum Technologies, committing approximately €3 billion ($3.3 billion) to quantum technology development through 2026. The BMBF received €1.37 billion, with an additional €800 million allocated to state-funded research institutes. The plan set targets for a quantum computer with at least 100 qubits by 2026, scaling to 500 qubits in the medium term. Five goals guided the action plan, covering technological sovereignty, marketable products, societal challenges, European collaboration, and a research-to-industry ecosystem. Separately, IBM announced its first European quantum data center at Ehningen, Germany, where all processing and job data would remain within EU borders.
Why it matters. Germany’s €3 billion commitment is the largest quantum funding package in Europe and places Germany as the primary European counterweight to the United States and China in quantum investment. The action plan’s emphasis on technological sovereignty reflects a broader German and European concern about dependence on non-European quantum hardware. The 100-qubit target by 2026 is conservative by global standards, suggesting a focus on quality and reliability over headline qubit counts. IBM’s decision to locate its European quantum data center in Germany, with explicit data residency guarantees, is a direct response to European data sovereignty concerns and could influence where other cloud quantum providers establish their European operations.
What remains unclear. How the €3 billion will be allocated across the five strategic goals. Whether the 100-qubit target refers to logical or physical qubits, and on which hardware platform. How coordination will work between the BMBF and state-funded research institutes, which have separate governance structures. Whether the action plan’s 2026 endpoint will be extended or replaced by a successor framework.
Who should care. European quantum startups and hardware companies seeking federal procurement or research partnerships, EU institutions tracking member-state quantum spending for coordination purposes, US and Asian quantum companies considering European market entry, and defense planners evaluating Germany’s quantum computing capabilities timeline.
South Korea Unveils KRW 3 Trillion Quantum Strategy and Advances Quantum Legislation
What happened. South Korea took two parallel steps in this quarter. On May 24, the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee advanced the Quantum Science and Technology Promotion Act, which would provide a legal framework defining government ministries’ responsibilities for quantum policy. On June 27, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the Quantum Science and Technology Strategy, committing more than KRW 3 trillion (approximately $2.3 billion) in joint public-private investment between 2023 and 2035. Targets include a 1,000-qubit quantum computer, training 2,500 core professionals, increasing global market share to 10 percent, and nurturing 1,200 quantum companies by 2035. The strategy was accompanied by an MOU between IonQ and MSIT for workforce development and a joint statement with the United States on quantum cooperation signed during President Yoon’s state visit in April.
Why it matters. South Korea’s approach is distinct in combining dedicated legislation with a funded national strategy and immediate international partnerships. The Quantum Promotion Act, if enacted, would make South Korea one of the few countries with a standalone quantum law, giving the sector a statutory basis that survives changes in government. The 10 percent global market share target by 2035 is specific and measurable, an unusual feature in national strategies. The simultaneous signing of partnership agreements with IonQ and the US government signals that South Korea intends to build its quantum capabilities through international collaboration rather than purely domestic development, a pragmatic choice given the country’s late start relative to the US, China, and Europe.
What remains unclear. Whether the Quantum Promotion Act will pass the full National Assembly and on what timeline. How the KRW 600 billion private-sector contribution will be structured (voluntary commitments, matched funding, or tax incentives). Whether the 1,000-qubit target refers to a specific hardware platform. How the strategy’s ambitious targets align with South Korea’s current quantum research base, which is smaller than those of its stated competitors.
Who should care. International quantum companies evaluating the Korean market, particularly trapped-ion and superconducting hardware providers. Korean universities and research institutes positioning for hub designation. Policymakers in Japan and the US managing the bilateral quantum cooperation agreements. Export control authorities tracking technology transfer implications of the IonQ partnership.
Australia Releases First National Quantum Strategy Backed by AU$101.2 Million Budget
What happened. Australia released its first National Quantum Strategy on May 3, 2023, setting a vision to be “recognised as a leader of the global quantum industry” by 2030. The strategy contained five themes with 13 actions over seven years. Six days later, the government allocated AU$101.2 million (approximately $67 million) in the 2023-24 Budget for quantum and AI integration, including AU$40.2 million for a Critical Technologies Challenge Program with its first round focused on quantum, and AU$19.8 million for the Australian Centre for Quantum Growth. The strategy identified the AU$15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, with AU$1 billion allocated for critical technologies including quantum, as a further investment pipeline. CSIRO projected the quantum industry could be worth AU$4.6 billion by decade’s end.
Why it matters. Australia’s strength in quantum research, particularly in silicon-based approaches, has been a consistent feature of global quantum rankings. The strategy’s timing, within weeks of the Quad Hiroshima summit and alongside the Australian budget, suggests deliberate sequencing to demonstrate national commitment ahead of multilateral engagements. The AU$101.2 million immediate allocation is modest by comparison with German or Indian commitments but is supplemented by the larger National Reconstruction Fund pipeline. The creation of the Australian Centre for Quantum Growth, focused on demand stimulation rather than supply-side research, reflects a mature understanding that Australia’s challenge is less about scientific excellence than about converting research into commercial outcomes.
What remains unclear. How the Critical Technologies Challenge Program will define its first quantum challenge round and which companies or institutions will be eligible. When and how the AU$1 billion critical technologies allocation within the National Reconstruction Fund will flow to quantum-specific projects. Whether the strategy’s 2030 timeline is realistic given the early-stage nature of most quantum commercial applications.
Who should care. Australian quantum startups and research groups competing for challenge program and growth center funding. International quantum companies seeking Australian partners, particularly through the Quad framework. Defense and intelligence agencies in Australia and allied countries, given the AUKUS dimension. Investors evaluating the Australian quantum commercialization pipeline.
G7 and Quad Summits in Hiroshima Signal Export Controls and Investment Coordination for Quantum
What happened. The May 2023 G7 and Quad summits in Hiroshima produced two sets of quantum-relevant outcomes. The G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué affirmed export controls as a “fundamental policy tool” and recognized the need for cooperation on controls for critical and emerging technologies. While quantum was not named at the leaders’ level, the accompanying economic security statement and the earlier G7 Science Ministers’ communiqué from Sendai explicitly identified quantum technology as “central to the green and digital transition as well as to economic and national security.” Separately, the Quad Leaders’ Summit launched the Quad Investors Network (QUIN), listing quantum among ten core strategic technology sectors. The QUIN was structured to connect investors, entrepreneurs, and public institutions across Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. Industry associations from the ICQIA presented directly to G7 Science Ministers on standardization, intellectual property, and market access.
Why it matters. The G7’s treatment of export controls in the context of critical and emerging technologies, combined with G7 Science Ministers explicitly naming quantum, creates the political foundation for coordinated quantum export controls among the world’s largest advanced economies. Spain’s adoption of autonomous export controls on quantum computers under EU dual-use regulation, announced the same month, shows that this coordination is already translating into national action. The Quad Investors Network adds a demand-side mechanism, channeling private capital toward quantum in four countries that collectively span the major non-Chinese quantum ecosystems. The ICQIA presentation to G7 ministers represents a new level of industry-government engagement at the multilateral level.
What remains unclear. Whether G7 quantum export controls will converge on specific technical thresholds (such as qubit counts or error rates) or remain at the level of general categories. How the QUIN will interact with existing bilateral investment mechanisms. Whether the G7’s emphasis on “preventing cutting-edge technologies from furthering military capabilities” will extend to quantum sensing and communications or focus primarily on computing. How China will respond to what it may interpret as coordinated technology denial.
Who should care. Quantum hardware exporters in G7 and Quad countries, who face potential new licensing requirements. Legal and compliance teams at companies operating across multiple jurisdictions. Venture capital and institutional investors targeting quantum in the Quad nations. Trade policy officials tracking the relationship between export controls, outbound investment screening, and technology standards.
Also in April–June 2023
Denmark launched the first part of its National Strategy for Quantum Technology, committing DKK 1 billion (approximately $93.6 million) over 2023-2027, with a Strategic Program for Quantum Research and Innovation administered through Innovation Fund Denmark and a new National Forum to advise on implementation.
The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), TNO, and CWI published the PQC Migration Handbook, providing concrete guidance to Dutch government and industry for transitioning to quantum-secure communication, one of the first national-level PQC migration guides in Europe.
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking signed hosting agreements with six sites across Europe for the deployment of its first quantum computers, with total planned investment exceeding €100 million and architectures spanning superconducting qubits, neutral atoms, trapped ions, and photonics.
Spain became one of the first EU member states to adopt autonomous export controls on quantum computers under Article 9(4) of the EU Dual-Use Regulation, covering quantum computers, related components, and development technology, a move that by 2024 was followed by France, the Netherlands, and others.
Detailed cross-jurisdictional analysis and sector-specific implications for each development covered in this briefing are available to Quantum Policy Radar subscribers.