Starmer and Trump to sign quantum computing pact amid China spying fears
Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump plan to sign a quantum computing pact designed to counter China’s aggressive attempts to master the breakthrough technology.
A commitment to work together on quantum computing is expected to be a key part of a “technology partnership” due to be unveiled this week during the US president’s state visit.
US defence chiefs have recently toured British quantum labs as they aim to work with British scientists to crack the technology.
Jensen Huang, the chief executive of US tech giant Nvidia, who is set to accompany Mr Trump on his three-day visit, is also due to meet UK companies in the field this week.
China has poured billions into mastering quantum computing, a novel technology that uses the quirks of quantum physics to create vastly more-powerful machines which are likely to be used for a variety of different techologies.
Proponents say they have the power to foster scientific breakthroughs by modelling weather and chemical reactions, but also to crack encrypted communications used by banks and the military.
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This week’s agreement is expected to pledge deeper collaboration on security standards and investment, encouraging US and UK programmes to invest in companies from either country, according to industry sources consulted on the plans.
This could include the UK’s national quantum computing centre working more closely with US firms. It could also involve sharing information with the quantum benchmarking initiative, a programme run by Darpa, the US Defence Department’s blue-sky research division, to invest in quantum firms.
One person close to the discussions contrasted the approach with the EU’s quantum programme, which is designed to invest primarily in companies in the bloc.
The agreement could later lead to easing export restrictions and developing a shared supply chain between the countries.
Last week, Darren Jones, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, approved the $1.1bn (£810bn) takeover of British quantum company Oxford Ionics by IonQ, following a national security investigation.
The deal has been cleared on the grounds that Oxford Ionics’ quantum computing hardware and its research and engineering work remain in the UK.
A government spokesman said: “The UK and the United States are natural partners, as the only allied countries with trillion-dollar tech sectors, and we already work closely on a range of important technologies such as AI, quantum and cyber security.”
The partnership between the UK and US, which will also cover areas such as AI and nuclear, has been described as crucial to winning a technological race with China.