Quantum Technology Featured in President Trump’s September State Visit to the UK
President Donald Trump’s visit to London heralded the announcement of the “Tech Prosperity Deal,” with quantum computing high on the agenda. The United States is branching out in its attempts to limit China’s quantum dominance.
Aside from the pomp and pageantry afforded to President Donald Trump during his state visit to the United Kingdom in September, there was some serious business to be discussed. Under the “Tech Prosperity Deal,” which was agreed to during the visit, the UK secured USD 150 billion worth of investment from U.S. technology firms – including Microsoft and Google – and U.S. investment company Blackstone. The deal involves cooperation between the UK and United States in sectors such as AI, quantum computing, and nuclear energy. The deal is expected to create 7,600 jobs.
The deal between the two countries reportedly includes a pledge for deeper collaboration on security standards and investment, as well as information sharing between the UK’s national quantum computing center and American firms.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang reportedly accompanied President Trump in visits to British quantum computing companies during the recent state visit. In recent months, U.S. defense chiefs have also reportedly toured British quantum labs. In September, UK regulators approved the USD 1.1 billion takeover of British quantum company Oxford Ionics by U.S. firm IonQ.
China’s Race to Achieve Quantum Dominance
Quantum computing was high on the bilateral agenda as the two countries seek to counter China’s aggressive attempts to master the emerging technology. Beijing is pouring billions of dollars’ worth of investment into quantum computing, aimed at creating vastly more powerful computers than are available today.
In July 2024, working with Danish and Austrian scientists, a team of physicists from China’s Tsinghua University, developed room-temperature time crystals that could facilitate greater advances in quantum technology.
In September, the University of Science and Technology of China unveiled a Zuchongzhi 3.0 quantum processor, which marks a watershed moment in quantum computing. It is 1 quadrillion times faster than the best supercomputers in operation today.
Geopolitical Implications
Quantum technology can be applied to multiple applications such as pharmaceuticals, transportation, and communications. However, it also carries profound national security risks.
Indeed, such a powerful technology could rebalance geopolitical dynamics. As a result, countries are keen to secure their positions in this domain while defend against dominance by potential adversaries.
In this context, quantum computing was among the tranche of technologies featured in the March 2025 UK-Japan Industrial Strategy Partnership. For example, the UK-Japan Quantum Memorandum of Cooperation aims to build commercial partnerships, promote collaboration between quantum computing flagship facilities and research, and build resilient supply chains.
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