by Dr. Joe Spencer
The UK National Quantum Technology Showcase 2024 was an unprecedented success, attracting over 2,500 registrants – the largest crowd to date for such a quantum event. The Showcase has become a hallmark of the UK’s growing quantum technology sector and its leadership in the global quantum race. Attending every year since its inception, it has been great to see first-hand this industry grow, and herald why the UK is a top-tier player in a global ecosystem.
Figure from GQI’s comprehensive Quantum Ecosystems Playbook where a country-by-country assessment can be made, including direct country-to-country comparison.
Held annually, the showcase brings together experts, businesses, and innovators in quantum technology, offering a platform for presenting cutting-edge research, product developments, and international collaborations. In 2024, the event saw even more diverse international attendance, reflecting the global interest and investment in quantum tech, particularly in the UK’s world-leading research and development initiatives.
Figure from GQI’s Investment playbook showing split and value of all deals in 2024 by geographical location
Key Highlights
- Growth in Attendance: The event’s attendance showed a significant year-on-year increase, with people from across the world gathering to witness the latest advancements in quantum technology. Notably, the exhibition space was bustling with 97 high-quality exhibitors spanning the entire quantum tech supply chain—from foundational research and development to commercial applications.
- New Quantum Hubs & Key Collaborations: The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and five new EPSRC Quantum Hubs were all prominently featured, showcasing their pivotal roles in advancing quantum technologies. Also on display were the many results of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Quantum Technology Challenge Fund, which has been instrumental in fostering innovation and collaboration across academia and industry.
- Groundbreaking Technologies on Display: Several exciting, commercially viable quantum products were unveiled or showcased:
- QLM’s methane sensors are now available on the market, marking a significant step towards applying quantum technology for health & safety and environmental monitoring.
- Cerca Magnetic showcased its second-generation OPM MEG helmets, an advancement in quantum-based brain imaging technologies.
- Toshiba displayed its world-leading commercial Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems, manufactured in the UK, a crucial breakthrough for secure communications.
- Oxford Ionics impressed with the world’s highest qubit fidelities, alongside notable mentions for Quantinuum, who also displayed their impressive full-stack quantum computing capabilities.
- Aquark technology unveiling their new cold atom engine prototype, with a footprint about the size of a toaster.
- Nu Quantum presented its disruptive distributed quantum computing architecture—a promising avenue for scaling quantum systems.
- Riverlane demonstrated its pioneering work on quantum error correction and decoders, which are essential for making quantum computing more reliable.
- Phasecraft teased exciting results from its research into quantum algorithms, including Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), which has potential applications in solving complex optimization problems.
- Growing International Presence: The UK quantum ecosystem continues to attract global players, with companies like Infleqtion, Rigetti, and Q-Ctrl expanding their operations in the UK. This reflects both the global recognition of the UK’s strengths in quantum research and the increasing international collaboration in the quantum space.
GQI’s own CEO – André M. König – visited the Showcase personally for the first time and had the opportunity to talk with Key UK leaders in person, including Sir Peter Knight, Michael Cuthbert, Roger Mckinley, Tom Newby and others. With long entrepreneurial experience, André is perhaps uniquely widely traveled in attending such events globally. Reflecting on Friday’s event André commented “It’s time this National Showcase is recognised on the international stage as THE event to attend” adding that “The UK is a core market for GQI globally and home to our European office and team.”
Left to right: André M. König, CEO at GQI, Gibson Armstrong, Enterprise Growth at TreQ, Mandy Birch, CEO at TreQ, Sir Peter Knight, Chair at UK Quantum, Jörgen Bengtsson, CFO at TreQ
Celebrating a Decade of Innovation
2024 marked the 10th anniversary of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP), a milestone that was celebrated with pride.
Over the past decade, the UK has built one of the world’s leading quantum programs, driven by visionary leadership and strategic funding from entities like UKRI. The UK’s quantum program has fostered a thriving ecosystem that spans from quantum photonics to quantum computing and quantum sensing, contributing to advancements that will shape the future of industries like healthcare, communications, and energy.
Though other countries have their own quantum ecosystems and challenges, the UK’s ability to bring together academia, industry, and government has set it apart as a global leader in the field.
The UK Showcase show floor 2024
The Future of UK Quantum Technology
Looking ahead, the quantum sector in the UK is poised for further growth and commercialization. The technologies on display at the showcase demonstrate that quantum is no longer a distant concept; it is an active, evolving field that is already delivering real-world applications.
Figure from GQI’s QC Hardware ‘State of Play ‘24’ depicting progress of select vendors
Some challenges the UK faces are held in common with the sector globally: how to technically scale-up quantum systems for large scale applications; how to ensure that the required infrastructure, such as quantum-safe cybersecurity, keeps pace with developments.
Other areas look different on the European side of the Atlantic than in the US: how to find the large scale follow-on private investment and perhaps large scale tech integrators able to drive the delivery of large scale systems.
Other challenges are specific to the UK’s current situation: how to ensure continued political support at a time when 14 years of Conservative administration has been replaced by a new Labour government. It was noticeable that despite the high profile success of this year’s Showcase, it was the first time in many years that no senior political figure took part in the opening.
As quantum technologies continue to mature, the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme will play a critical role in addressing these challenges while enabling the next generation of quantum innovations. The 2024 showcase demonstrated not only the progress made but also the immense potential of quantum technologies to transform industries and society at large.
With ongoing investments and increasing international collaboration, the UK is firmly positioned to maintain its leadership in this rapidly evolving field, shaping the future of technology for decades to come.
And that is why it is important that you “Don’t gamble. Know.” when it comes to strategic decision making in quantum technologies.
November 12, 2024
