The British government has announced five Quantum Missions to build the United Kingdom’s capabilities in Quantum Computing and Quantum technology. Announced on the 22nd of November 2023, the National Quantum Strategy Missions have five specific missions, which include building a quantum computer capable of running 1 trillion calculations by 2035. The aim is also to create a Quantum Internet, use quantum sensing within the NHS and quantum sensors in various sectors, and utilize quantum clocks deployed across the critical infrastructure in the transport, telecoms, energy, and defense sectors.

There were rumblings of a Quantum Moonshot reported yesterday by the Telegraph to be announced by Jeremey Hunt (Chancellor of the Exchequer) in the Autumn announcements. Back in March 2023, the government published the National Quantum Strategy, where it committed to publishing long-term quantum missions to galvanize technology development towards ambitious outcomes.

Summary of the Quantum Missions

Mission 1: Quantum Computers
By 2035, there will be accessible, UK-based quantum computers capable of running 1 trillion operations and supporting applications that provide benefits well in excess of classical supercomputers across key sectors of the economy.

Mission 2: Quantum Networks
By 2035, the UK will have deployed the world’s most advanced quantum network at scale, pioneering the future quantum internet.

Mission 3: Quantum Sensing Applications in the NHS
By 2030, every NHS Trust will benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions, helping those with chronic illness live healthier, longer lives through early diagnosis and treatment.

Mission 4: Quantum Navigation
By 2030, quantum navigation systems, including clocks, will be deployed on aircraft, providing next-generation accuracy for resilience that is independent of satellite signals.

Mission 5: Quantum Sensors
By 2030, mobile, networked quantum sensors will have unlocked new situational awareness capabilities, exploited across critical infrastructure in the transport, telecoms, energy, and defence sectors.

Executive Summary
One immediate surprise is that operations are chosen instead of other metrics, such as the number of qubits, quantum volume, or even quantum utility. Each metric could be arguably more straightforward to measure and more transparent. Atom Computing has already reached 1,000 qubits, and IBM will likely be next on its roadmap to hit 1,000 qubits. Could the reason chosen to select operations rather than qubits be because it’s more opaque and difficult to measure? Does the inner skeptic prevail?

The missions are all laudable and hopefully spur the UK quantum system into life with a new impetus. Several quantum companies, from start-ups to scale-ups like Quantinuum developing quantum programming languages and Quantum Machine Learning, already comprise everything from companies working on Qubits to Quantum companies building the Software Tools and algorithms that the quantum ecosystem needs.

Source：https://quantumzeitgeist.com/uk-quantum-5-quantum-missions-quantum-strategy/