February 2025 brought consequential quantum policy moves across several fronts. In Washington, a bipartisan Senate bill proposed quadrupling DOE quantum funding to USD 2.5 billion over five years. China’s cryptographic standards body opened a global call for post-quantum algorithm proposals, marking a move toward an independent PQC standardization track. Canada published detailed mission roadmaps under its National Quantum Strategy, while Saudi Arabia designated quantum computing as a national moonshot goal with a 2045 target. In Europe, Italy released the first draft of its national quantum strategy for public consultation, joining a growing list of EU member states formalizing their quantum ambitions.
United States: DOE Quantum Leadership Act Proposes USD 2.5 Billion Through 2030
What happened. On February 13, 2025, Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the Department of Energy Quantum Leadership Act of 2025 (S. 579), a bipartisan bill authorizing more than USD 2.5 billion in quantum research, development, and demonstration funding through DOE over fiscal years 2026 to 2030. The bill was cosponsored by four additional senators. It proposes five programs: USD 775 million for the DOE Quantum Information Science Research Program, USD 875 million for the National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, USD 500 million for Quantum Network Infrastructure, USD 250 million for a new Quantum Instrumentation and Foundry Program, and USD 191 million for the Quantum User Expansion for Science and Technology program. The legislation represents a fourfold increase over the USD 625 million for DOE-related programs under the now-expired National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018.
Why it matters. The NQI Act expired in 2023, and reauthorization has stalled. This bill represents the most detailed legislative proposal yet for what comes next in U.S. federal quantum funding. The inclusion of a dedicated quantum instrumentation and foundry program and a university-led trainee program signals a shift from basic research authorization toward supply chain security and workforce pipeline construction. The bill’s bipartisan sponsorship (three Republicans, three Democrats) is a practical indicator of its viability, though passage remains uncertain in a Congress with competing budget pressures. The authorization level, more than four times the expired NQI Act’s DOE allocation, would place U.S. federal quantum spending on a trajectory closer to the commitments recently announced by China, Japan, and the EU.
What remains unclear. Whether the bill will advance through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the current session. A predecessor bill introduced in August 2024 made it to the Senate calendar but did not pass. Authorization levels do not guarantee appropriations, and the actual funding delivered could be substantially lower than the amounts proposed. The bill’s relationship to any forthcoming executive actions on quantum, which were reported to be in development, is also unspecified.
Who should care. U.S. national laboratories and university quantum research groups; quantum hardware startups dependent on DOE research center access; defense contractors tracking quantum supply chain provisions; foreign governments benchmarking U.S. quantum investment trajectories.
China: ICCS Launches Global Call for Post-Quantum Cryptographic Algorithms
What happened. On February 5, 2025, the Institute of Commercial Cryptography Standards (ICCS), operating under the Chinese Cryptography Standardization Technical Committee, launched the Next-generation Commercial Cryptographic Algorithms Program (NGCC). The program issued a global call for proposals across three categories: public-key cryptographic algorithms, cryptographic hash algorithms, and block cipher algorithms. Draft guidelines for hash function proposals were released with a public comment period ending March 15, 2025. The deadline for public-key algorithm submissions was set for June 30, 2026.
Why it matters. This is the clearest signal yet that China intends to develop its own PQC standards track, separate from NIST’s. By framing the call as international and open, ICCS is positioning China as a PQC standard-setter rather than a standard-taker. Chinese researchers have reportedly focused on structureless lattice methods that differ from the algebraic lattice approaches in NIST’s finalized algorithms, which raises the prospect of divergent cryptographic ecosystems. For multinational organizations, a world with two or more incompatible PQC standard families would create significant compliance and interoperability costs. For smaller nations currently deciding which migration path to follow, the ICCS program adds a new variable to their planning.
What remains unclear. Whether the algorithms China selects will be interoperable with NIST standards, or whether this formalizes a bifurcation. The degree to which the “global” call will attract meaningful participation from researchers outside China. How this relates to China’s existing commercial cryptography regulations, which require the use of nationally approved algorithms in certain sectors.
Who should care. Chief information security officers at multinational firms operating in China; national cybersecurity agencies planning PQC migration; standards bodies tracking international cryptographic alignment; telecommunications firms serving cross-border markets.
Canada: National Quantum Strategy Mission Roadmaps Published
What happened. On February 17, 2025, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) published mission roadmaps for quantum computing, quantum communication and post-quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing under the National Quantum Strategy. ISED stated the roadmaps were developed through consultation with Canada’s quantum community and describe challenges, gaps, opportunities, and agreed actions with short-, medium-, and long-term objectives for federal and provincial governments, academia, industry, and not-for-profit organizations.
Why it matters. Canada’s 2023 National Quantum Strategy was one of the more detailed strategy documents in the G7, but its implementation pathway remained vague. The publication of sector-specific roadmaps moves the strategy from aspiration toward accountable execution. Few countries have published this level of granularity, particularly on the PQC migration side. The explicit inclusion of provincial governments and not-for-profits in the roadmap’s stakeholder framework also reflects the decentralized nature of Canada’s quantum ecosystem (concentrated in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia) and the coordination challenges that entails.
What remains unclear. Whether new federal funding will be attached to the roadmaps or whether they rely on existing allocations. The roadmaps describe “agreed actions,” but who is accountable for delivery and on what timeline is not immediately apparent from the announcement. The interaction between these roadmaps and the broader fiscal environment, given the change in government leadership in Canada, also warrants monitoring.
Who should care. Canadian quantum companies and research institutions; provincial innovation agencies; international partners evaluating Canada as a quantum collaboration destination; PQC migration planners in Canadian federal departments.
Saudi Arabia: RDIA Designates Quantum Computing as National Moonshot Goal
What happened. Saudi Arabia’s Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) announced quantum computing as one of three national moonshot goals at the LEAP 2025 conference in Riyadh on February 12, 2025. The Kingdom set a target of developing a scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2045. A National Alliance for Quantum Computing was simultaneously announced, described as a collaborative platform bringing together government, academia, and industry, with a partnership with Aramco.
Why it matters. Saudi Arabia’s entry into quantum policy at the moonshot level is the most explicit quantum commitment from a Gulf state to date. The 2045 timeline for a fault-tolerant computer is conservative by global standards (several leading programs target the early 2030s for meaningful fault tolerance), which may indicate either a realistic assessment of the Kingdom’s starting position or a placeholder that will be revised. The partnership with Aramco, one of the world’s most valuable companies, provides a built-in use case in energy optimization and materials science. For the broader Gulf technology ecosystem, this positions Saudi Arabia alongside the UAE (which has focused more on PQC migration and cybersecurity) as a quantum-active jurisdiction.
What remains unclear. The funding commitment behind the moonshot designation. National alliance announcements without disclosed budgets, procurement timelines, or international partnership details remain directional signals rather than operational plans. Whether the Kingdom will pursue indigenous hardware development, procure foreign systems, or adopt a hybrid approach. How this will interact with Saudi Arabia’s existing Vision 2030 technology investments.
Who should care. Quantum hardware and services companies seeking Gulf contracts; energy sector technology planners; universities and research institutions in the MENA region; foreign governments tracking Gulf technology sovereignty ambitions.
Italy: Draft National Strategy for Quantum Technologies Released for Consultation
What happened. The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) published the first draft of Italy’s National Strategy for Quantum Technologies and opened it for public consultation in late February 2025. The 65-page document was prepared by a working group involving the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Defence, the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), and the Department for Digital Transformation. The strategy covers quantum computing, communication, sensing, and metrology. It acknowledges that Italy invested EUR 227.4 million in quantum technology between 2021 and 2024, a figure the document described as lower than those of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. PQC migration was identified as a priority area.
Why it matters. Italy is the fourth-largest EU economy, and the release of a draft quantum strategy closes a visible gap in European quantum policy coverage. The document’s candid acknowledgment that Italian quantum investment trails peer nations is unusual in a strategy document and may serve as a basis for arguing for increased funding. The interministerial drafting process (spanning research, industry, defense, cybersecurity, and digital transformation) is broader than most national approaches, suggesting Italy intends a whole-of-government framework. Combined with the EU’s coordinated PQC transition roadmap, the strategy positions Italy to align national actions with European-level requirements.
What remains unclear. The final funding envelope: the draft acknowledges a gap but does not specify a target investment level. The consultation timeline and how stakeholder input will be incorporated. Whether Italy will establish new institutional structures (such as a national quantum lab or coordination office) or rely on existing institutions. The balance between domestic capability-building and reliance on European programs (EuroHPC JU, Quantum Flagship).
Who should care. Italian quantum researchers and companies preparing consultation responses; EU institutions coordinating quantum policy across member states; defense and cybersecurity planners tracking PQC migration readiness; quantum technology suppliers evaluating the Italian market.
Also in February 2025
UNESCO held the opening ceremony of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology on February 4 and 5 at its Paris headquarters, drawing over 1,200 participants including six Nobel laureates and three government ministers. The event launched a year-long program of scientific, educational, and public engagement activities worldwide, with a follow-up Geneva inauguration co-hosted by the Open Quantum Institute and UNESCO on February 21.
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center presented Spain’s first quantum computer, developed entirely with European technology by a joint venture of Qilimanjaro and GMV, to be integrated into the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer. Funding came from the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan under the Digital Spain 2026 programme.
Colombia’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation launched the Year of Quantum Sciences and announced an investment plan exceeding COP 63,000 million (approximately USD 16 million), including the Orquideas fellowship supporting 150 research projects led by women scientists, and a planned mission to send student-researchers to CERN.
Lithuania completed its first quantum communication test between Vilnius and Kaunas as part of the EuroQCI initiative, while the Lithuanian Quantum Technologies Association presented a community-driven agenda projecting EUR 65 million in national funding needs through 2035. Malaysia’s MIMOS Berhad launched the country’s first Quantum Intelligence Centre, signing a teaming agreement with South Korea’s SDT Inc. to establish a Quantum Valley innovation hub.
Detailed analysis of each development in this briefing, with cross-jurisdictional comparisons, sector implications, and source documentation, is available to Quantum Policy Radar subscribers.