The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) at Harwell Science and innovation Campus is playing a crucial role in driving forward the UK’s quantum computing mission.

Speaking at an event during this year’s London Tech Week, UK Science Minister, George Freeman, announced new funding to support universities and businesses working in the UK’s quantum technologies sector.  These new investments, through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund, will build upon the country’s National Quantum Technologies Programme which has been running for nearly a decade.

Following the Minister’s announcement, the NQCC is pleased to announce that, as part of a wider Quantum Computing Mission, the Centre is investing £30 million to commission the development of quantum computing testbeds (prototype quantum computers) in the UK. The NQCC is partnering with Innovate UK to deliver the competition.

“We are pleased to be announcing this key investment of £30m, which will help to drive further development of prototype quantum computers here in the UK. We plan to further support this initiative by operating and hosting a number of the testbeds within the NQCC’s national lab facilities. It’s a great example of how we aim to work with partners to build the UK’s quantum computing capabilities, enabling the technology to be demonstrated and showcased.”, Dr Simon Plant, Deputy Director for Innovation, NQCC commented.

The Quantum Computing Mission aims to:

• accelerate the UK’s strategic advantage and capabilities
• accelerate the growth in user adoption of quantum computing and associated essential skills
• uncover critical bottlenecks in understanding technology readiness and systems performance on the pathway to delivering fully fault-tolerant error-corrected quantum computing for the UK.

The NQCC is coordinating with partners across UK Research & Innovation in support of this initiative. The mission seeks to drive the development of test-beds and applications to underpin further growth of a UK quantum computing sector capable of delivering quantum advantage in 2025.

The NQCC sits at the centre of the Harwell Quantum Cluster bringing together experts from across business, academia and the government to address the challenge of making quantum technology scalable.