Australian quantum industry leaders form alliance

Local and global leaders in Australia’s quantum industry have launched a new group called the Australian Quantum Alliance (AQA), to be the voice of the quantum industry in Australia. Launched on 31 August 2022 under the auspices of the Tech Council of Australia (TCA), the AQA aims to promote, strengthen and connect Australia’s quantum ecosystem.

The AQA’s formation recognises the global potential and growing impact of the quantum sector in Australia and recognises the need to have a single industry group to work with governments on a range of policy issues impacting the sector, including the Australian Government’s Quantum Strategy, the regulation of critical technologies, the design of the proposed Critical Technologies Fund, and skills and migration.

The AQA was formed by leaders across the quantum industry and includes nine local and global companies. Founding members include leading local companies Quintessence Labs, Q-CTRL, Quantum Brilliance, Silicon Quantum Computing, Nomad Atomics and Diraq, and global companies Google, Microsoft and Rigetti. Research released by the Tech Council highlights that the quantum industry is among Australia’s most high-potential emerging sectors, with more than 3% of global quantum start-ups originating in Australia, compared to 1.7% of startups on average. The Australian quantum industry attracts 3.6% of all global VC investment in the quantum industry, in excess of Australia’s global GDP share of 1.6%. Australia is also attracting investment in quantum research and development from the significant global companies.

Vikram Sharma, Founder and CEO of the AQA, welcomed the establishment of the Australian Quantum Alliance, the culmination of the year’s collaboration between quantum industry stakeholders and the government. “With the prowess of the TCA, we hope to collectively drive the development of a vibrant quantum industry, provide guidance to the government on the development of the industry, help corporate decision-makers understand and adopt quantum technology, and build strong domestic and international partnerships for the greatest national benefit to Australia,” Sharma said.

Kate Pounder, CEO of TCA, said the AQA will help ensure that Australia maintains its head start in the global quantum race. “Australia is leading the world in quantum research. Now we need to lead in commercialising that research by creating, scaling and attracting world-leading quantum companies in Australia. The Tech Council is proud to add global and local leaders in quantum to the Tech Council of Australia. This highlights the breadth and depth of Australia’s rapidly growing tech sector, and its potential to be a source of new jobs, growth and investment in Australia. We look forward to working with industry, government and the research community to take the quantum sector from strength to strength,” Pounder said.

Image credit: iStock.com/metamorworks