South Korea hopes to establish a quantum industry ecosystem and become one of the top global quantum chip manufacturers by 2035.

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY-04) and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23), members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, introduced the bipartisan Advancing Regional Quantum Hubs Act. This bill will strengthen Long Island and our nation’s quantum computing hubs, enhance our national security and position the United States as a global leader in quantum computing, AI and technological innovation.

Numana has launched a new Québec City component of its Kirq quantum-safe test bed, enabling real-world testing of quantum-secure communications systems ahead of large-scale deployment. The Kirq test bed now forms a connected loop across Sherbrooke, Montréal, and Québec City, allowing companies and institutions to test quantum-safe technologies on live networks that mirror operational conditions. Hosted with Université Laval’s COPL and the National Optics Institute, the expansion supports Canada’s National Quantum Strategy and the planned migration to quantum-safe cryptography by 2035.

The Forum will establish five new Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and India. Each centre will work with governments and industry to deliver practical policy frameworks and pilots, address regional priorities and advance international cooperation. Focus areas include AI innovation, the energy transition, cyber resilience and frontier technologies.

Across a dozen European countries, a new European pilot will be started in 2026: Photonics for Quantum (P4Q). In this project, a large consortium is working on ways to make photonic chips for quantum applications more reliable and scalable. The coordinator of P4Q, Pepijn Pinkse (University of Twente, NL): "Ideas that currently remain in the lab can grow into really useful devices more quickly."

The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), in collaboration with Q*Bird, has officially deployed Spain’s first operational Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution (MDI-QKD) network. This multi-node infrastructure connects three distinct high-security sites: two locations within the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) and one within the Ministry of the Interior (SGSICS). Unlike traditional point-to-point QKD, this deployment utilizes a hub-and-spoke topology that enables a fully connected mesh network without the need for “trusted nodes” at the central hub, a significant advancement for the security and scalability of metropolitan quantum communications.

The governments of Singapore and Japan have signed a landmark Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on quantum science, technology, and innovation, marking Singapore’s first international quantum-specific agreement at the government-to-government level. Signed by Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, and Japan’s Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Onoda Kimi, the agreement establishes a bilateral framework to accelerate the development of a resilient quantum ecosystem across Southeast Asia and East Asia.

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today introduced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to accelerate quantum technology development and real-world applications that are vital to U.S. national security and global economic competitiveness.

Canada and Germany have launched the Canada–Germany Digital Alliance, with a key focus on accelerating joint work in quantum technologies, AI, digital infrastructure and innovation. The countries will issue a joint call for quantum technology proposals in January 2026, led by the National Research Council of Canada and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. Both governments committed to growing competitive tech ecosystems through collaboration on quantum commercialization, generative AI, large language models and frontier digital capabilities.

The Horizon Europe 2026-27 Work Programme has been published and includes exciting new calls for the Quantum Flagship and beyond. There is a new kind of 'grand challenge' call, and topics in quantum sensing, photonic quantum computing and standards are covered.