Finnish quantum computing systems developer IQM has appealed to the leadership of the European Union with a call to revise the strategy for developing the quantum industry. The company insists on the need to create specialized chip manufacturing factories and to change the existing approach to the distribution of state funding.
According to IQM's assessment, the current model of support for quantum technologies in the EU is fragmented and does not allow it to compete with the US and China, where investments in quantum research and production infrastructure are systemic in nature. The absence of its own production capacities makes European companies dependent on external suppliers of critically important components.
Key demands to Brussels
IQM proposes concentrating efforts in several directions:
Creation of specialized semiconductor factories focused specifically on quantum chips, rather than repurposing existing capacities.
Revision of state funding mechanisms — a shift from scattered grants to long-term programs comparable in scale to American and Chinese initiatives.
Formation of a sovereign supply chain to reduce dependence on external manufacturers in a strategically sensitive segment.
Quantum computing is viewed as a dual-use technology with the potential to radically affect cryptography, financial infrastructure, and defense capability. This is precisely why the issue of technological sovereignty in this area is becoming particularly acute for the EU.
For the crypto industry, the signal is especially significant: the accelerated development of quantum capabilities directly affects long-term risks for existing cryptographic standards, including the algorithms underlying bitcoin and other blockchain networks. The transition to post-quantum cryptography is increasingly shifting from the theoretical plane to the practical one.
Cryptalist analysis: IQM's initiative reflects a broader trend toward the regionalization of critical technologies and the EU's desire to reduce dependence on external suppliers. For the crypto market, this is an additional argument in favor of accelerated migration to post-quantum cryptographic standards — institutional investors are increasingly assessing the long-term resilience of blockchain infrastructure to quantum threats.