IQM urges EU to fund quantum chip foundries by 2030s

IQM Quantum Computers has published an industrial policy manifesto calling on the European Commission to fund dedicated quantum chip foundries and packaging facilities by the 2030s. The Finnish-German hardware maker released the document ahead of the EU Quantum Act.

What IQM is asking Brussels for

The manifesto, Quantum Is Europe's Second Chance, sets out five legislative priorities for the Act and the companion European Chips Act 2.0.

The five priorities centre on manufacturing, procurement and state aid. IQM calls for dedicated industrial-grade quantum foundries and packaging facilities by the 2030s, matching U.S. CHIPS Act infrastructure programmes with IBM and GlobalFoundries. It also proposes modelling the EU's Quantum Grand Challenges on the U.S. DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, which Quantum Zeitgeist reported committed up to $300 million to a single company in October. The manifesto wants multi-hundred-million-dollar milestone contracts to replace basic research grants. Designating quantum cleanrooms and supply-chain infrastructure as first-of-a-kind facilities would make them eligible for fast-tracked state aid.

The manifesto also warns that early-stage investors seek liquidity, while deep European institutional capital is often absent. That gap can move ownership, decision-making and intellectual property overseas, according to the document.

The fragmentation numbers behind the ask

IQM's evidence for fragmentation comes from ECIPE. The manifesto cites data showing 23% of EU quantum funding in 34 sub-scale regional clusters, compared with 2% in the U.S. and 1% in China.

Quantum Zeitgeist reported that EU public investment in quantum technologies is roughly $10 billion, second only to China and ahead of the United States, that Europe accounts for 44% of global quantum patents, and that EU-based companies took just over 12% of disclosed global quantum funding through 2024, against 44% for U.S. companies.

IQM illustrates both the progress and the small scale. The company completed a $1.8 billion dual listing on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Helsinki in July, the first European quantum company to float. CEO Jan Goetz told Diginomica that IQM has delivered 26 or more systems, including to four of the world's top ten supercomputing centres. Goetz said that is a small number compared with smartphones but more than any rival has sold.

What happens next

The European Commission is expected to present the EU Quantum Act in November, Quantum Zeitgeist reported. IQM's manifesto is aimed at that legislation and the companion European Chips Act 2.0.