December 2024 saw Australia’s signals directorate impose the most aggressive post-quantum cryptography migration deadline issued by any Five Eyes nation, requiring full transition by the end of 2030. In the United States, bipartisan senators introduced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act with $2.7 billion in proposed authorizations. The Wassenaar Arrangement’s Vienna plenary again failed to reach consensus on quantum computing controls, while Canada quietly amended its Export Control List for quantum items, further extending the pattern of unilateral national action. Vietnam’s Politburo elevated quantum technology to a named strategic priority in Resolution 57, and Israel’s five-year National Quantum Initiative expired without a successor program in place.
Australia: ASD Mandates 2030 PQC Transition, Five Years Ahead of NIST
What happened. The Australian Signals Directorate published a December 2024 update to the Information Security Manual introducing new controls (ISM-1990 through ISM-1995) that adopted ML-KEM and ML-DSA as approved algorithms and recommended ceasing all traditional asymmetric cryptography by the end of 2030. ASD set three intermediate milestones: a refined PQC transition plan by end of 2026, commencement of transition for critical systems by end of 2028, and full transition by end of 2030. ASD also published a separate LATICE transition framework covering five phases and stated that quantum key distribution was not supported for secure communications.
Why it matters. The 2030 cessation deadline places Australia five years ahead of NIST’s comparable deprecation timelines for RSA and elliptic curve algorithms. For any organization operating across both U.S. and Australian regulatory environments, Australia’s deadline now sets the effective compliance floor. ASD’s rejection of hybrid post-quantum/classical schemes as a long-term solution also diverges from the approach recommended by the Netherlands, France, and Germany, creating a potential standards divergence within the Five Eyes and allied groupings. The LATICE framework provides a structured methodology that other national cyber agencies may adopt or adapt.
What remains unclear. Whether ASD’s 2030 deadline will be treated as mandatory for government agencies only or will extend to critical infrastructure operators through legislative instruments. How organizations with long hardware refresh cycles (operational technology, embedded systems, IoT) are expected to meet the timeline. Whether Australia’s rejection of hybrid deployment will influence NIST’s own ongoing review of hybrid key exchange mechanisms.
Who should care. CISOs and cryptographic architects in organizations with operations in Australia or subject to Australian government supply chain requirements. Vendors of cryptographic libraries and hardware security modules. National cyber agencies in Five Eyes and allied countries weighing their own PQC transition timelines.
United States: NQI Reauthorization Act Seeks $2.7 Billion Over Five Years
What happened. On December 3, a bipartisan group of senators led by Cantwell, Young, Durbin, and Daines introduced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act (S. 5411), authorizing $2.7 billion over FY2025 through FY2029 for NIST, NSF, and NASA quantum programs. The bill would extend the NQI program from 2029 to 2034, establish up to three new NIST quantum centers, create five new NSF Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education, and for the first time authorize NASA quantum satellite communications and sensing work. Authorization for certain NQI R&D activities had expired on September 30, 2023.
Why it matters. The bill signals that congressional support for federal quantum investment remains bipartisan even during a period of political transition. The $2.7 billion authorization would represent a modest increase over recent annual spending levels (the NQI Budget Supplement, also published in December, reported $1,006 million enacted for FY2024), but its real value lies in providing multi-year certainty for research centers and workforce programs that have been operating under expired authorizations for over a year. The inclusion of NASA quantum activities reflects growing interest in space-based quantum communications and sensing. The bill was reintroduced in the 119th Congress in January 2026, suggesting the December introduction was a marker rather than a legislative endpoint.
What remains unclear. Whether the reauthorization will advance through the new Congress, given competing budget priorities and a changed administration. Whether the authorization levels will be matched by actual appropriations. How the bill’s provisions interact with Department of Energy quantum programs, which are authorized separately and were not included in this legislation.
Who should care. U.S. quantum research centers and university programs dependent on NQI-authorized funding. Quantum hardware and software companies seeking federal procurement opportunities. International partners whose collaboration agreements reference NQI structures.
Wassenaar Stalls on Quantum as Canada Joins Unilateral Export Control Wave
What happened. The Wassenaar Arrangement’s 28th plenary in Vienna on December 3 noted continued national-level action on quantum computing technologies following the absence of consensus within the Arrangement. Russian objections had blocked multilateral quantum computing controls since 2022. Separately, on December 21, Canada amended its Export Control List to add controls on quantum computing and advanced semiconductors through SOR/2024-11-112. The same month, China’s new Export Control Regulations on Civil-Military Dual-Use Items took effect, extending deemed-export provisions to foreign nationals within China and applying extraterritorial controls to items manufactured abroad using Chinese-origin technologies.
Why it matters. The Wassenaar outcome confirms that formal multilateral consensus on quantum export controls is not achievable in the current geopolitical configuration. The practical response, an expanding constellation of unilateral national controls adopted by allied states, is now well established: France, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States had all imposed national-level quantum export controls during 2023 and 2024, and Canada’s December amendment extends this alignment further. The BIS License Exception IEC mechanism, introduced in September 2024, provides a framework for recognizing equivalent national controls. China’s parallel development of its own dual-use control framework, including quantum items, creates a two-bloc export control architecture with distinct rule sets, compliance requirements, and deemed-export provisions.
What remains unclear. Whether the EU will adopt bloc-level quantum export controls through an update to Annex I of the Dual-Use Regulation, or continue to rely on national measures under Article 9. How the expanding patchwork of national controls will affect quantum hardware companies with global supply chains. Whether any mechanism exists to revisit the Wassenaar impasse if Russia’s participation status changes.
Who should care. Quantum computing hardware manufacturers and their component suppliers. Export compliance teams at companies shipping quantum items internationally. Trade policy officials in countries that have not yet adopted national quantum export controls.
Vietnam: Politburo Elevates Quantum to Named Strategic Technology
What happened. On December 22, Party General Secretary To Lam signed Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, declaring science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation the top strategic breakthrough for Vietnam. The resolution names quantum technology alongside AI, semiconductors, blockchain, and 5G/6G as technologies Vietnam should “step by step master.” It directs establishment of a fund for investment in strategic industries with quantum technology listed among priority areas, and mandates that at least 15 percent of state budget expenditures on scientific activities be allocated toward strategic technology research. A Central Steering Committee chaired by the General Secretary was created to oversee implementation.
Why it matters. Vietnam is a significant addition to the roster of countries with explicit high-level political commitments to quantum technology. Resolution 57 is a Politburo-level directive, the highest tier of policy authority in Vietnam’s political system. Its emphasis on international cooperation with countries possessing advanced capabilities signals that Vietnam intends to build quantum capacity through partnerships rather than purely indigenous development. This positioning makes Vietnam a potential partner for established quantum nations seeking to extend their technology networks into Southeast Asia, but the resolution’s reach also places Vietnam in a complex position given that it appears on the U.S. BIS Country Group D:5 list, which triggers license requirements for quantum computing exports.
What remains unclear. The budget allocation that will follow the 15 percent directive, since Vietnam’s total science budget is modest by global standards. Which international partners Vietnam will prioritize and whether its quantum cooperation will follow the pattern of its semiconductor partnerships. Whether the Action Program issued in January 2025 will specify quantum-specific investment targets or institutional arrangements.
Who should care. Quantum technology companies and research institutions seeking partnerships in Southeast Asia. Export control compliance teams at firms considering technology transfer to Vietnam. ASEAN-focused policy analysts tracking the region’s technology strategy evolution.
Israel: National Quantum Initiative Expires as 20-Qubit System Unveiled
What happened. Israel’s five-year National Quantum Initiative, launched in 2019 with a budget that grew to NIS 1.5 billion, expired in late 2024 without a successor program in place. A follow-up committee was appointed in 2025 but had not produced a replacement as of early 2026. In a contrasting development, Israel unveiled its first domestically built 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer on December 17, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, the Israel Innovation Authority, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The system was designated for both defense and civilian applications.
Why it matters. The gap between the initiative’s expiry and any successor program creates a period of policy uncertainty for Israel’s quantum ecosystem, which had grown from 5 to 20 quantum companies and from 144 to 240 academic research groups during the initiative’s lifetime. The 20-qubit computer unveiling demonstrates that the initiative produced tangible hardware outcomes, but the absence of a follow-on program risks losing momentum at a critical scaling phase. Israel’s cumulative national quantum spend in the low hundreds of millions of dollars is modest compared to peers like the United Kingdom (£2.5 billion over ten years) or France (€1.8 billion), making continuous funding even more important to retain talent and sustain hardware development programs.
What remains unclear. The timeline for the follow-up committee’s recommendations and whether a successor program will match or exceed the original initiative’s budget. Whether the IAI-led quantum computing program has separate defense funding that continues independently of the civilian initiative. How the ongoing conflict and fiscal pressures will affect the government’s appetite for a new multi-year quantum commitment.
Who should care. Israeli quantum startups and research groups facing funding uncertainty. International partners with existing quantum cooperation agreements with Israel. Defense technology planners tracking sovereign quantum computing capabilities in the Middle East.
Also in December 2024
The Dutch AIVD, CWI, and TNO published a renewed second edition of the PQC Migration Handbook, recommending ML-KEM-1024 for key exchange and ML-DSA-87 for digital signatures, and introducing the PQChoiceAssistant advisory tool. The handbook was presented during a symposium in The Hague that also addressed a European roadmap for quantum-safe digital infrastructure.
Sweden’s government presented its research and innovation bill for 2025 to 2028, designating quantum technology as a strategic research area with earmarked funding of SEK 50 million in 2027 rising to SEK 100 million (approximately USD 9 million) in 2028, following a May 2024 government mandate to develop a national quantum strategy.
Russia unveiled a 50-qubit neutral atom quantum computer prototype at Lomonosov Moscow State University, delivering on a government-backed Rosatom roadmap target. Combined with a 50-qubit ion-based system announced in September, Russia now operates two 50-qubit processors on different platforms and plans to scale to 75 qubits by 2025.
Brazil’s FAPESP launched the Quantum Technologies Initiative (QuTIa) with approximately BRL 31 million (USD 5.2 million) over five years, including a joint call with Rio de Janeiro’s FAPERJ and defense-focused research consortia. Turkey’s President Erdogan announced plans for a superconducting chip production facility for quantum computing, elevating the project to a presidential-level commitment following the November unveiling of Turkey’s first 5-qubit quantum computer.
Detailed analytical profiles for each development covered in this briefing, with cross-jurisdictional comparison tables and sector-specific risk assessments, are available to Quantum Policy Radar subscribers.