The UK government has launched a new national network to coordinate standards for quantum technologies, strengthening the ability of British companies to grow in the UK and sell around the world.
Announced today by science minister Lord Vallance, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) will establish the National Quantum Standards Network (QSN) to bring together common standards for quantum technology.
Supported by £10m in funding from the DSIT, the network will bring together government, industry and academia, including the British Standards Institution and UKRI’s National Quantum Computing Centre, to engage with UK companies. Its goal is to ensure quantum products are developed to internationally recognised standards.
The QSN will oversee everything from the line widths of the ultra-narrow lasers needed to control qubits inside a quantum computer, to the size, weight and energy-efficiency requirements that will ensure one quantum sensor’s reading can be trusted against another.
As key decisions are taken in international quantum standards-setting bodies over the coming years, the government says the UK will now lead the way globally with its own dedicated network.
“Quantum could bring benefits to our society as significant as what we are seeing with AI, with the potential to deliver new medicines, better public services and protect our finances,” says Vallance.
“The UK’s quantum sector is already a global leader. With the National Quantum Standards Network, we will accelerate its growth, meaning more British jobs and investment into our economy from all over the world.”
