By Amara Graps
French: Fewer in Surveyed-Number, but More Confident than the Germans
“Confident” is how I would describe the French in Figure 5 of QuEra’s recent Survey Report: The Current and Future State of Quantum Computing.
The question to the French respondents was How well-positioned is their country in the global quantum computing industry? They were fewer in number in the survey than the Germans by half, yet ~67% considered their country, very well positioned.
On the other hand, the German respondents were more in number, but less confident: Only about 44% felt that Germany is very well positioned in the global quantum computing industry.
Figure. Reproduced Figure 5 from the QuEra: Survey Report: The Current and Future State of Quantum Computing.
Quantum Computing Investment Confidence. France and Germany compared.
That confidence is seen in France’s quantum technology investments, as well. When Global Quantum Intelligence, LLC: CEO André König, stated in his article: Latest Quantum Tech Investment Trends:
We see a dramatic capital flight to quantum computing hardware and later stage rounds.
Dramatic is clear! The blue pie chart indicating hardware is ~90%, for the investment period January 1, 2023, to now, September 12, 2024, for a total investment of 223.44 MUSD.
Figure. GQI’s Investor Playbook, for France, with selected dates: January 1, 2023, to today September 12, 2024. (*)
While for the German quantum technology companies, the blue pie chart indicating hardware is ~48%, for the investment period January 1, 2023, to now, September 12, 2024, for a total investment of 112.14 MUSD.
Figure. GQI’s Investor Playbook, for Germany, with selected dates: January 1, 2023, to today September 12, 2024. (*)
A More Efficient Patent System
Investments drive a society’s economic engine, but Patents capture the dreams.
The German Patent record indicates an area for improvement where the German society can dream more efficiently.
I was interested to learn if there were snags in the German Patent system for granting patents, and the answer is ‘Yes’. Upon making a quick look in Google Patents, selecting -only- the German patent office, and in the German language, the patent application (581) versus granted (131) ratio is reasonable, however the time-to-grant (~4years) is long. Deep-tech implementations are known for needing more time than other startup products, however, a lengthy patent application process could stifle every business decision for that company.
In the French Patent system, making a similar quick look by selecting -only- the French patent office, and in the French language, the patent applications (1193) versus granted (183) ratio shows vigorous competition. A little surprisingly, the time-to-grant (~2 years) is half as long.
According to Ben Mandeville-Clarke:
- Patents Make It Easier to Attract A-team Employees
Plus, Compared to Trade Secrets:
- Patents Are Better for Attracting VC and Strategic Partnerships
- Patents Make Your Company More Attractive to Potential Acquirers
- Patents Are Easier to Generate Additional Revenue Streams
(*) The Investor Playbook is an interactive tool from GQI that encourages exploration into the quantum sub-domains from an investor point-of-view. If you are interested to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact [email protected].
September 13, 2024
