Guest Post By Dr Sebastian Weidt
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Universal Quantum
The recent news that IonQ has acquired Oxford Ionics should give us pause. On the one hand it is a testament to the world-class foundations the UK has built in quantum computing. On the other it adds to a worrying pattern: Britain’s most promising deeptech companies being absorbed by overseas giants before they can achieve escape velocity on their own.
This trend matters. Quantum computing promises transformational impact across every major sector of our economy from drug discovery to defence. Yet if our homegrown pioneers are snapped up at an early stage, we risk relinquishing control of the critical intellectual property and industrial capability that they represent.
Building Sovereign Leadership
From my own experience founding Universal Quantum and authoring the first blueprint for a large-scale trapped-ion quantum computer, I know what it takes to design and engineer these systems. It requires not only world-leading scientific talent but also access to long-horizon capital, stable procurement pipelines and a commercial environment that rewards bold, patient investment.
In the United States, DeepTech startups benefit from defence contracts that underwrite multi-year R&D, and from investors more comfortable with the scale of ambition and risk involved in these long-term projects. This ecosystem allows companies to retain ownership of their innovations as they scale.
Why Universal Quantum Has Remained Independent
At Universal Quantum, we believe the UK and indeed Europe as a whole can and must build sovereign capabilities in quantum computing. We have been able to resist acquisition thanks to a combination of attractive and innovative academic partnerships, grants, and a core group of investors aligned with our long-term vision. Most importantly perhaps, we have also been able to secure one of the largest public sector contracts in the sector. It is the combination of these support streams that will continue to be important and must grow significantly going forward to ensure long-term homegrown capabilities in this sector remain.
What Britain Must Do Next
If we want to lead the quantum revolution rather than watch from the sidelines, we must act now. The recent defence spending review signals an encouraging commitment, but words must be matched by immediate, robust measures. Specifically:
1. Establish Quantum Procurement Programmes
The Ministry of Defence and other government bodies should create dedicated quantum technology procurement initiatives. These would guarantee multi-year contracts to UK companies as they develop and commercialise new systems.
2. Cultivate Patient Capital
The government should push harder to incentivise pension funds and institutional investors to deploy long-term capital into DeepTech. Tax reliefs or co-investment vehicles could help align their time horizons with the multi-decade nature of foundational research.
3. Strengthen Public-Private Partnerships
Expand collaborative research centres that bring together academia, industry and national labs. This approach has fuelled success in areas such as nuclear fusion and space launch. A similar model for quantum could anchor companies here and speed up the path to fault-tolerant machines.
We now stand at a crossroads. The UK must decide whether it wants to lead the journey in quantum computing or be content to supply ideas that others will ultimately own and capitalise on. We have world leading foundations in quantum computing in the UK. With the right strategy, funding and procurement frameworks our homegrown talent and companies can reach global scale – and keep the UK at the forefront of this critical technology. This is possibly the greatest technological step change in modern history, will the U.K. be able to act now? I want to believe it can.
