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Jun 2025
This article was originally published as the third edition of Decoding, our monthly briefing on the latest trends in government technology. Sign up here to receive future editions directly in your inbox.
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In a world where geopolitics is moving faster than a quantum bit, Europe’s push for tech sovereignty is no longer just a buzzword, it’s a full-blown strategy. And at the heart of that plan? Quantum technology. From ultra-secure communications to next-gen computing, quantum is quietly gearing up as the EU’s secret weapon.
In this edition of our Decoding Europe's Digital Public Infrastructure series, we zoom in on how Europe is shaping its quantum game plan – with a spotlight on Denmark’s national strategy and innovation landscape. We explore the European Commission’s emerging quantum strategy, the Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025, and the role of public sector leadership in scaling secure, sovereign technologies. We then turn to Denmark’s quantum ecosystem and spotlight Partisia’s work in quantum secure communications.
Europe’s quantum ambitions are no longer just theoretical. In 2025, three big papers dropped, and together, they’re shaping what could become the playbook for Europe’s quantum leap:
These publications mark a rare moment of alignment between EU institutions, Member States, and industry leaders. The goal? Scale quantum capabilities fast, and make them a core layer of Europe’s digital infrastructure.
In May 2025, the European Commission published a report outlining the main orientations and strategic recommendations for shaping a coordinated European approach to quantum technology. Co-developed by the Quantum Technology Coordination Group, with representatives from all 27 EU Member States, the report lays out a unified plan built around three pillars:
Bottom line for governments? Quantum isn’t a moonshot anymore. It must be integrated into national digital strategies, procurement frameworks, and innovation programmes.
The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 (SIR), developed by the European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC), outlines the private sector’s vision for achieving European quantum advantage by the early 2030s. Its priorities include:
The roadmap underscores the urgency of scaling investment, fostering public–private partnerships, and turning research into commercial products. It also points to public procurement as a vital mechanism for creating early markets for European-made quantum solutions.
In parallel with the roadmap, QuIC’s Recommendations to the EU Quantum Strategy offer concrete actions to align EU regulation with industry needs. Their recommendations echo the Commission’s plan, but go deeper on what’s needed to make it work. The recommendations include:
Their message to public sector leaders? Don’t just fund the future – help create the market. Early procurement is one of the fastest ways to scale up emerging tech.
🇸🇪🇳🇴🇫🇮🇮🇸🇩🇰 Nordic countries: Coordinating complementary strengths
The Nordic governments have issued a joint statement on quantum technologies. With combined capabilities in hardware, software, and public–private partnerships, the Nordics aim to lead in ethical quantum development, supply chain security, and commercialisation.
🇫🇮 Finland: Driving quantum defence innovation
Finland will lead a new EU-funded project exploring quantum technologies for defence applications. The project, titled Quantum Enablers for Strategic Advantage (QUEST), will explore quantum applications in encryption, positioning, surveillance, and missile defence.
🇩🇰 Denmark: Guidance on quantum security and export control
The Danish Business Authority and the Danish National Security and Intelligence Service (PET) have released a new guide for companies and research institutions on quantum security, investment screening and export controls.
🇪🇺🇯🇵 EU & Japan: Deepening cooperation in quantum R&I
A new Letter of Intent strengthens EU-Japan collaboration across quantum tech, AI, 5G/6G, HPC, and semiconductors. The agreement also covers digital identities, cybersecurity, and connectivity infrastructure, reflecting growing tech diplomacy amid shared geopolitical priorities.
🇫🇷🇩🇪🇳🇱 France, Germany & the Netherlands: €30M trilateral push for quantum leadership
The three countries have completed a joint quantum innovation call, funding high-impact projects in computing, communication, and sensing. With €30M+ in combined support, the initiative backs scalable technologies and commercialisation, aiming to reinforce Europe’s leadership through cross-border collaboration.
🇮🇳 India: Launching quantum research for defence
India has opened a national quantum research centre aimed at strengthening quantum-enhanced defence capabilities. It’s a part of a broader national mission to advance dual-use tech for security and competitiveness.
Denmark is emerging as a key player in Europe’s quantum landscape, driven by robust public–private partnerships, research excellence, and a forward-thinking national strategy. Its integrated approach offers valuable lessons for governments and public sector leaders navigating digital transformation and emerging technologies.
A key milestone in Denmark’s digital infrastructure is Gefion, the nation’s first AI supercomputer, developed through a public–private partnership between the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO). Operated by the Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI), Gefion ranks among the world’s best in storage performance.
With DKK 700 million in funding, it supports academia, startups, and industry. Use cases from the University of Copenhagen, DTU, and startups like Go Autonomous and Teton highlight the supercomputer’s role in tackling challenges in health, climate, and mobility.
Academic institutions are a cornerstone of Denmark’s quantum strategy. At the University of Copenhagen, the Quantum for Life Centre, funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, is advancing simulation tools for molecular biology and drug discovery. The centre exemplifies high-impact collaboration between academia and industry.
Denmark’s National Strategy for Quantum Technology is structured in two parts:
The strategy aligns Danish strengths in academic research with clear ambitions for applied quantum technologies, underpinned by international cooperation and trusted governance.
Denmark’s quantum roadmap offers a tested model for fostering digital transformation through focused investment, clear governance, and cross-sector collaboration. By combining academic excellence, national policy, and strong infrastructure, Denmark has positioned itself as a leading hub for quantum innovation in Europe.
As quantum computers become more powerful, today’s encryption methods will no longer be safe, putting sensitive data at risk of being exposed to hackers or foreign actors. To tackle this, a new international partnership is developing a space-based system that uses truly random encryption keys generated by satellites, making communication and data sharing secure even in a future with quantum threats.
In April 2025, Partisia (Denmark), Squareroot8 (Singapore), and NuSpace (Singapore) announced a strategic partnership to develop a quantum-secure satellite communication system. This collaboration aims to integrate Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) into satellites, enabling the generation and distribution of truly random keys for encryption, thereby enhancing the security of data transmissions against emerging quantum threats.
The initiative leverages QRNG-equipped satellites to produce and distribute random keys essential for Multi-Party Computation (MPC). By doing so, the system ensures that sensitive computations can be performed securely, even with potential quantum computing adversaries. This approach fortifies data privacy and accelerates cryptographic processes by offloading preprocessing tasks to the satellite, thereby reducing latency and computational overhead on the ground.
The collaboration underscores the importance of integrating quantum technologies with existing communication infrastructures to future-proof data security. By combining Partisia's expertise in MPC, Squareroot8's advancements in quantum-safe communications, and NuSpace's capabilities in satellite technology, the partnership sets new standards in secure, efficient, and scalable communication systems.
→ Read more about the partnership here.
📆 The Business Case for Quantum Technology Part II: Leading experts in Danish government and industry will share insights on how to navigate export control, competitiveness and security for critical digital technologies.
10 June. Copenhagen.
→ Read more and register here.
📆 France Quantum 2025 Summit: Discover France’s quantum landscape and connect with public and private sector leaders shaping Europe’s quantum future.
10 June 2025. Paris.
→ Read more and register here.
📆 The Nordic Model in the Age of AI: Open Economies, Trust and Competitiveness: This high-level event will explore how digitalisation and broad technology adoption, combined with open economies, have driven growth and competitiveness in the Nordics.
10 June. Brussels.
→ Read more and register here.
📆 The Future of Digital Investments in the EU: Organised by the Danish Agency for Digital Government as part of the Danish EU Presidency, this high-level event will convene leading voices from government, industry and academia to shape the future of digital development in Europe. As a key partner, Digital Hub Denmark will host a dedicated stage featuring exclusive sessions with senior representatives from both public and private sectors. The programme will focus on strategic leadership in digital transformation, emerging technologies and breaking barriers to innovation and execution at scale.
2-3 July. Aalborg, Denmark.
→ Read more and register here.
📆 SAVE THE DATE – European Quantum Technology Conference 2025 in Denmark: As part of the Danish EU Presidency, this year's European Quantum Technology Conference will be held in Copenhagen. Co-organised by the Nils Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, the event is expected to attract 1000+ participants from across Europe.
10-12 November. Copenhagen.
→ Read more here.
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