Europe is assembling world-class quantum machines, yet may struggle to run them, Euractiv reports.
The paradox is clear. Germany's Toptica builds advanced photonic lasers. Finland's Bluefors makes the ultra-cold refrigeration that brings machines near absolute zero. France's Alice & Bob has developed error-resistant computing technology that can stand with global leaders. But without the software layer that makes these systems useful, the hardware edge may not translate into real-world leadership.
"If Europe overlooks the strategic importance of quantum software development, it risks falling behind in the global race," warns Olivier Ezratty, a quantum engineer and researcher who argues the European Commission's strategy leans too heavily on hardware while neglecting the code that brings it to life.
Hardware Without a Brain
Quantum computers use qubits—quantum bits that can exist in multiple states at once, unlike classical bits locked into 0 or 1. This superposition lets them tackle certain problems in hours rather than years. But programming them requires specialized tools and talent that Europe currently lacks, according to Euractiv.
IBM's open-source Qiskit has cultivated a global developer community. QC Ware in the US, Riverlane in the UK, and Israel's Classiq are pushing ahead with proprietary stacks. Where does that leave EU developers? Increasingly dependent on foreign platforms to program European hardware.
There are bright spots. Finnish computer maker IQM and French cloud providers OVHcloud and Scaleway offer emulators so developers can experiment cheaply before touching real machines. Helpful, yes—but Ezratty sees these as incremental steps against international rivals who recognized early that software often decides who controls a tech ecosystem.
Money Flows Elsewhere
The software gap reflects a deeper structural issue: European startups rely heavily on public funding while competitors attract private capital.
The contrast is stark. EU firms get 51% of their funding from government sources, compared with 2% in the US and 10% in the UK, according to a 2024 McKinsey study. From 2001 to 2023, the UK alone attracted 1.36× more private investment than the entire EU combined.
Recent funding rounds tell a similar story. IQM's €200 million and Alice & Bob's €130 million trail American rivals: QuEra raised $230 million in a single February round, and IonQ secured $360 million—nearly triple Alice & Bob's haul.
"For companies now at the growth stage, the EU lacks specialised venture capital funds that can act as lead investors in later-stage rounds," notes Olivier Tonneau, founder of French investment fund Quantonation.
Even the European Commission acknowledges the issue, stating in last month's strategy that "private investment is becoming the key differentiator between success and failure." Recognition is one thing; closing the gap is another.
A Question of Control
Industry leaders are urging looser rules for banks, insurers, and pension funds to unlock more financing—proposals the Commission has begun to consider after sustained lobbying.
But a basic question remains: Does hardware excellence matter if you don't control the software layer? The PC era offers a lesson. The winners weren't always the best chipmakers or system builders; they were the companies that owned the operating systems and developer tools.
Europe's future may hinge less on its sophisticated lasers and cooling systems and more on whether a continental player can build the quantum equivalent of Windows or iOS—the platform everyone else must use to access this technology.
