Jump-starting the quantum economy era! Four major quantum industry alliances in the US, Canada, Japan and Europe join forces
Two months ago, twelve countries, including the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Canada, established a partnership called the Entanglement Exchange. Now, Western countries are further deepening their cooperation [1], and on January 31, the Quantum Industry Consortium (QIC) of Canada, the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) of the United States, the Quantum Revolution Strategic Industry Consortium (Q-STAR) of Japan, and the Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) of Europe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formally establish the Council of the International Quantum Industry Association. The Council aims to enhance communication and collaboration among participating consortia on quantum technology development goals and approaches.
Emerging quantum technologies harness the fundamental properties of quantum physics to surpass the capabilities of traditional "classical" systems," said Taro Shimada, chairman of Q-STAR's board of directors. sustainability, energy and secure communications, among other areas."
Q-STAR was established on Sept. 1, 2021, and consists of Japanese companies determined to proactively use quantum technology to create new industries and businesses. With an initial membership of 24, it is expanding rapidly to include small and large companies and startups. The range of industries represented includes materials, chemicals, electronics, communications, infrastructure, manufacturing, finance, construction, and more.
For more than a year, these alliances have been meeting informally. on April 14, 2022, they released a joint statement for World Quantum Day, with the goal of finding new ways to collaborate and drive a larger quantum ecosystem.
Celia Merzbacher, executive director of QED-C, said, "Quantum innovation and quantum markets are emerging globally, and the formation of the council creates channels of communication and collaboration that will help our members in countries and regions with shared values and many economic ties to develop supply chains, open markets, exchange talent, and support policies that benefit emerging industries and policies that benefit society."
The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) is an industry-driven consortium managed by SRI International whose mission is to enable and develop a robust quantum-based industry and related supply chain. Supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and more than 200 members, it includes more than 150 companies from the quantum supply chain, including component suppliers/manufacturers, software and hardware system developers, service providers and end users.
"We look forward to working with our peers around the world to continue to grow and strengthen the quantum ecosystem at an international level," said Michele Mosca, chairman of QIC's board of directors.
QIC is a consortium of Canadian quantum technology companies including: developers of quantum computing, quantum communications and encryption, quantum sensing and quantum secure encryption technologies, and companies developing applications of these technologies.
We are at the beginning of a global technological revolution," said Thierry Botter, executive director of QuIC. Forming the Council and working together promotes equity and reciprocity in advancing the international quantum ecosystem. It allows our community to discuss areas of common interest, such as international standards, intellectual property and financing."
The European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) is a pan-European non-profit association dedicated to advancing commercial quantum solutions and Europe's competitiveness in quantum technologies on the global stage.Founded in 2021 by several major business actors from across Europe, QuIC today reorganizes more than 160 members, including large corporations, SMEs, investors and startups. The consortium operates as a collaborative hub, bringing members together to work on topics of common interest to create a dynamic and collaborative pan-European quantum ecosystem. Alliance working groups discuss topics such as law and trade, standardization of emerging quantum technologies, education and professional training, market intelligence, and a strategic roadmap for the pan-European industry.
Indeed, India is also actively integrating into the quantum ecosystem in Western countries. This week, the national security advisors of India and the United States hosted the first meeting of the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). iCET was announced in May 2022 with the goal of enhancing and expanding the strategic technology partnership and defense industry partnership between the two countries.
At the meeting, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval announced that the two countries are working together in a range of areas, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, 5G wireless networks, and semiconductors [2].
Also this week, India's Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that quantum computing will be at the center of India's technology growth and expansion, and that Prime Minister Modi's vision is to create an India-centric technology ecosystem with partners and players from around the world.
Reference links：
[1]https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201005236/en/Qrypt-Deploys-New-US-Designed-and-Manufactured-Quantum-Random-Number-Generator-QRNG
[2]https://candid.technology/india-usa-partnership-icet-ai-quantum-computing-defence/
