Antonia Hmaidi & Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau
Introduction: China has entered the global competition over quantum technology leadership
Quantum technologies are seen around the world as pathbreaking technology, as quantum computing can do calculations not currently possible with digital computers, and quantum communication can ensure secure communication over long distances (see table 1). While quantum technologies are still in the research phase, any country that is able to deploy quantum tech first will have a first mover advantage. This early stage also means that front runners and technical approaches have not yet been consolidated.
However, researchers are making continuous breakthroughs. For instance, in October 2024, Chinese researchers used a quantum computer developed by the Canadian company D-Wave to break key components of advanced encryption standards, an encryption system used by the military and considered state-of-the-art.1 As working encryption is the basis for most communication today, including the internet, being able to break encryption at scale would be a game-changer.
The US and China have both elevated quantum technology to an arena of global technology competition similar to the Cold War rivalry over nuclear capabilities. Although the product is not a bomb but a computer, whoever develops quantum computing first will have palpable military advantages in cryptology, detection and information processing, not to mention a symbolic victory in a tech field all global powers agree is of strategic significance.2
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