Quantum computing

Quantum leap in Finland pushes qubit to millisecond range

Researchers in Finland have achieved a significant leap in quantum computing by extending qubit coherence to nearly one millisecond. The team at Aalto University and the VTT Technical Research Centre reported their success in Nature Communications, marking a new record for superconducting transmon qubits.

Coherence time, the duration a quantum bit maintains its state, is crucial for quantum computing. The Finnish transmon qubit reached an echo dephasing time of 1.057 milliseconds and a median energy relaxation time of 425 microseconds, far surpassing typical values.

Such improvements reduce error rates and boost the reliability of quantum operations, paving the way for more scalable and efficient quantum processors. Researchers also shared full details of their fabrication and measurement methods to ensure reproducibility and aid future development.

Due to this, Finland demonstrates its growing role in global quantum innovation, with strategic support from national and European institutions. Experts believe this progress will strengthen hopes of achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing shortly.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Rights before risks: Rethinking quantum innovation at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, a powerful call was made to ensure the development of quantum technologies remains rooted in human rights and inclusive governance. A UNESCO-led session titled ‘Human Rights-Centred Global Governance of Quantum Technologies’ presented key findings from a new issue brief co-authored with Sciences Po and the European University Institute.

It outlined major risks—such as quantum’s dual-use nature threatening encryption, a widening technological divide, and severe gender imbalances in the field—and urged immediate global action to build safeguards before quantum capabilities mature.

UNESCO’s Guilherme Canela emphasised that innovation and human rights are not mutually exclusive but fundamentally interlinked, warning against a ‘false dichotomy’ between the two. Lead author Shamira Ahmed highlighted the need for proactive frameworks to ensure quantum benefits are equitably distributed and not used to deepen global inequalities or erode rights.

With 79% of quantum firms lacking female leadership and a mere 1 in 54 job applicants being women, the gender gap was called ‘staggering.’ Ahmed proposed infrastructure investment, policy reforms, capacity development, and leveraging the UN’s International Year of Quantum to accelerate global discussions.

Panellists echoed the urgency. Constance Bommelaer de Leusse from Sciences Po advocated for embedding multistakeholder participation into governance processes and warned of a looming ‘quantum arms race.’ Professor Pieter Vermaas of Delft University urged moving from talk to international collaboration, suggesting the creation of global quantum research centres.

Journalist Elodie Vialle raised alarms about quantum’s potential to supercharge surveillance, endangering press freedom and digital privacy, and underscored the need to close the cultural gap between technologists and civil society.

Overall, the session championed a future where quantum technology is developed transparently, governed globally, and serves as a digital public good, bridging divides rather than deepening them. Speakers agreed that the time to act is now, before today’s opportunities become tomorrow’s crises.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

EU races to catch up in quantum tech amid cybersecurity fears

The European Union is ramping up efforts to lead in quantum computing, but cybersecurity experts warn that the technology could upend digital security as we know it.

In a new strategy published Wednesday, the European Commission admitted that Europe trails the United States and China in commercialising quantum technology, despite its strong academic presence. The bloc is now calling for more private investment to close the gap.

Quantum computing offers revolutionary potential, from drug discovery to defence applications. But its power poses a serious risk: it could break today’s internet encryption.

Current digital security relies on public key cryptography — complex maths that conventional computers can’t solve. But quantum machines could one day easily break these codes, making sensitive data readable to malicious actors.

Experts fear a ‘store now, decrypt later’ scenario, where adversaries collect encrypted data now and crack it once quantum capabilities mature. That could expose government secrets and critical infrastructure.

The EU is also concerned about losing control over homegrown tech companies to foreign investors. While Europe leads in quantum research output, it only receives 5% of global private funding. In contrast, the US and China attract over 90% combined.

European cybersecurity agencies published a roadmap for transitioning to post-quantum cryptography to address the threat. The aim is to secure critical infrastructure by 2030 — a deadline shared by the US, UK, and Australia.

IBM recently said it could release a workable quantum computer by 2029, highlighting the urgency of the challenge. Experts stress that replacing encryption is only part of the task. The broader transition will affect billions of systems, requiring enormous technical and logistical effort.

Governments are already reacting. Some EU states have imposed export restrictions on quantum tech, fearing their communications could be exposed. Despite the risks, European officials say the worst-case scenarios are not inevitable, but doing nothing is not an option.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

SpaceX rocket carries first quantum satellite into space

A groundbreaking quantum leap has taken place in space exploration. The world’s first photonic quantum computer has successfully entered orbit aboard SpaceX’s Transporter 14 mission.

Launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 23 June, the quantum device was developed by an international research team led by physicist Philip Walther of the University of Vienna.

The miniature quantum computer, designed to withstand harsh space conditions, is now orbiting 550 kilometres above Earth. It was part of a 70-payload cargo, including microsatellites and re-entry capsules.

Uniquely, the system performs ‘edge computing’, processing data like wildfire detection directly on board rather than transmitting raw information to Earth. The innovation drastically reduces energy use and improves response time.

Assembled in just 11 working days by a 12-person team at the German Aerospace Center in Trauen, the quantum processor is expected to transmit its first results within a week of reaching orbit.

The project’s success marks a significant milestone in quantum space technology, opening the door to further experiments in fundamental physics and applied sciences.

The Transporter 14 mission also deployed satellites from Capella Space, Starfish Space, and Varda Space, among others. Following its 26th successful flight, the Falcon 9 rocket safely landed on a Pacific Ocean platform after a nearly two-hour satellite deployment.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

China pushes quantum computing towards industrial use

A Chinese startup has used quantum computing to improve breast cancer screening accuracy, highlighting how the technology could transform medical diagnostics—based in Hefei, Origin Quantum applied its superconducting quantum processor to analyse medical images faster and more precisely.

China is accelerating efforts to turn quantum research into industrial applications, with companies focusing on areas such as drug discovery, smart cities and finance. Government backing and national policy have driven rapid growth in the sector, with over 150 firms now active in quantum computing.

In addition to medical uses, quantum algorithms are being tested in autonomous parking, which has dramatically cut wait times. Banks and telecom firms have also begun adopting quantum solutions to improve operational efficiency in areas like staff scheduling.

The merging of quantum computing with AI is seen as the next significant step, with Origin Quantum recently fine-tuning a billion-parameter AI model on its quantum system. Experts expect the integration of these technologies to shift from labs to practical use in the next five years.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Pasqal opens Canada factory, sells quantum computer to Distriq

French quantum computing firm Pasqal has deepened its North American presence by selling a 100-qubit quantum processor and opening a significant manufacturing facility in Sherbrooke, Québec.

The processor was sold to Distriq, a quantum innovation hub in Sherbrooke, which aims to strengthen Québec’s growing quantum technology ecosystem.

The deal was backed by a CA$9.6 million (US$7.1m) loan from the Québec Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy and Investissement Québec, alongside CA$2.4 million (US$1.8m) from the National Bank of Canada and CA$1.2 million (US$883,000) from Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions.

Pasqal confirmed that the system would be manufactured and installed in Sherbrooke and made available to Canadian researchers and industries.

The firm also inaugurated its first North American manufacturing site—its second globally—in Sherbrooke’s 50,000 sq ft Espace Quantique 1 building. The facility will focus on producing Pasqal’s next-generation quantum processors.

The factory was supported by a CA$15 million (US$11m) loan from Investissement Québec, positioning Pasqal among Canada’s most significant quantum players.

‘These achievements signal that quantum computing is no longer a future promise—it has become a reality today,’ said Wasiq Bokhari, Pasqal’s executive chairman.

Distriq VP Mehdi Bozzo-Rey called the acquisition a ‘major milestone’ in supplying Québec with industrial quantum capabilities.

Founded in 2019, Pasqal counts Nobel Laureate Alain Aspect among its co-founders. The company has installed systems in Saudi Arabia and Germany, and in early June 2025, it acquired Canadian photonics company Aeponyx to bolster its hardware capabilities.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Oxford physicists set new qubit accuracy record

Physicists at the University of Oxford have achieved a ground‑breaking error rate in quantum logic operations, reducing it to just 0.000015 percent, one mistake in 6.7 million operations. The result marks nearly a ten‑fold improvement over their previous record set in 2014.

The team used a trapped calcium ion qubit controlled by microwave signals instead of lasers to achieve high stability at room temperature and eliminate the need for magnetic shielding. However, this method offers cheaper, more robust control that fits with ion‑trap chip technology.

Reducing the error rate helps shrink the infrastructure needed for error correction, meaning future quantum computers could be smaller, faster and more efficient. They still lag, with around one in 2,000 error rates, highlighting further challenges for full‑scale quantum systems.

The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, bring practical quantum computing a significant step closer. The Oxford researchers involved include Professor David Lucas, Molly Smith, Aaron Leu and Dr Mario Gely.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Quantum computing threatens Bitcoin: Experts debate timeline

Recent breakthroughs in quantum computing have revived fears about the long-term security of Bitcoin (BTC).

With IBM aiming to release the first fault-tolerant quantum computer, the IBM Quantum Starling, by 2029, experts are increasingly concerned that such advancements could undermine Bitcoin’s cryptographic backbone.

Bitcoin currently relies on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and the SHA-256 hashing algorithm to secure wallets and transactions. However, both are potentially vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm, which a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could exploit.

Google quantum researcher Craig Gidney warned in May 2025 that quantum resources required to break RSA encryption had been significantly overestimated. Although Bitcoin uses ECC, not RSA, Gidney’s research hinted at a threat window between 2030 and 2035 for crypto systems.

Opinions on the timeline vary. Adam Back, Blockstream CEO and early Bitcoin advocate, believes a quantum threat is still at least two decades away. However, he admitted that future progress could force users to migrate coins to quantum-safe wallets—potentially even Satoshi Nakamoto’s dormant holdings.

Others are more alarmed. David Carvalho, CEO of Naoris Protocol, claimed in a June 2025 op-ed that Bitcoin could be cracked within five years, pointing to emerging technologies like Microsoft’s Majorana chip. He estimated that nearly 30% of BTC is stored in quantum-vulnerable addresses.

‘Just one breach could destroy trust in the entire ecosystem,’ Carvalho warned, noting that BlackRock has already acknowledged the quantum risk in its Bitcoin ETF filings.

Echoing this urgency, billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya said in late 2024 that SHA-256 could be broken within two to five years if companies scale quantum chips like Google’s 105-qubit Willow. He urged the crypto industry to start updating encryption protocols before it’s too late.

While truly fault-tolerant quantum machines capable of breaking Bitcoin are not yet available, the accelerating pace of research suggests that preparing for a quantum future is no longer optional—it’s a necessity.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

New ion trap chip paves way for scalable quantum systems

Researchers at the Quantum Systems Accelerator have announced significant progress in building scalable, stable quantum computers focusing on trapped-ion technology.

Their work marks a series of engineering milestones pushing quantum computing toward practical use.

A new ion trap chip can store up to 200 ions and significantly reduces power loss by redesigning its internal layout.

Developed and tested with collaborators at Duke and Cornell in the US, this design allows for the future creation of far larger qubit systems without overheating or energy waste.

At the University of Maryland, a team achieved parallel quantum gate operations using different spatial directions, overcoming prior interference issues.

However, this innovation boosts processing speed and accuracy, offering more efficient handling of time-sensitive quantum tasks.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Vitalik unveils Lean Ethereum for post-quantum protection

Ethereum developers have revealed a ‘Lean Ethereum‘ roadmap that seeks to simplify the blockchain’s base layer while preparing it for post-quantum security. The proposal was discussed by co-founder Vitalik Buterin and researcher Justin Drake during a Berlin conference session.

The plan prioritises three core goals: enhanced security through post-quantum signatures, reduced complexity in Ethereum’s structure, and improved efficiency to lower latency and costs.

Developers are already exploring four research tracks, including a three-step-finality protocol, quantum-resistant signatures, zero-knowledge virtual machines, and improved data layering through erasure coding.

Under the broader ‘lean’ concept, Ethereum may soon adopt lean staking, verifiability for low-power devices, and simplified cryptographic design. Modular logic and formal checks are part of the plan, aligned with zkEVM pilots and inclusion list development.

Although the roadmap doesn’t suggest an immediate upgrade, the Ethereum Foundation described it as a cohesive strategy that ties current innovation to long-term resilience. Core teams will prototype components and assess trade-offs in ongoing working group discussions.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!