The UK Government has published a procurement notice giving new details surrounding the plans to deploy quantum technology, including in the NHS.

The notice, issued on Friday, sets out the scope for what the government calls its ‘Quantum Technology Missions Roadmaps’, and invites those with commercial and technical knowledge of the quantum sector to develop detailed plans to support the design and delivery of the National Quantum Strategy Mission.

That mission was initially launched under the previous government, but the new tender is evidence that Labour plans to continue those multi-billion pound efforts to develop quantum computing power for the delivery of next generation technologies.

The government is looking for contractors to devise strategies for integrating quantum tech across four key areas.

Firstly, that’s across communications, with the tender notice looking for tech firms to create a roadmap and ‘mission milestones’ that allow quantum to be used alongside existing digital comms infrastructures, including priority platforms such as satellite communications.

It’s hoped that this will transform the way data is transmitted, computed and secured, and lead to outcomes including scaling quantum computing, nationwide quantum connectivity, the commercialisation of quantum communications tech, and the delivery of a quantum internet.

The government is also looking for detailed plans that will allow the NHS to make the most from emerging technology, hoping that it can not only reduce costs and save lives, but aid in the development of quantum medical devices that might revolutionise healthcare. 

A critical part of the mission here is to generate a pipeline of next-generation technologies which harness quantum physics to deliver early-stage diagnoses and improved outcomes across areas such as dementia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infectious diseases.

Another area of interest is the enhancement of critical national infrastructure, with quantum technology being highlighted as the key way the government expects to ramp up capacity, resilience, and sensing capabilities. 

As part of this mission, partnering firms are being sought to improve the performance of different types of quantum sensors, including those that can sense underground features and hazards, help with remote gas imaging, and allow for greater distributed sensing, for example across fleets of drones.  

Plans for quantum navigation are also part of the government’s strategy, with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) looking for partners that can plan for the creation of small and robust systems to be deployed on aircraft, including quantum clocks and gyroscopes, as well as technology for ultra-precise mapping.

According to the procurement notice, this forms part of a longer-term goal to reach ‘chip scale’, integrating advanced tech into mobile-phone sized systems, with expectations that any advancements could overlap with markets in electric vehicles, healthcare and critical national infrastructure, providing a larger, and faster, return on investment.

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Although no costs have been confirmed, the plans are likely to go into the billions, coming on the heels of a new state-backed National Quantum Computing Centre created to vastly accelerate the development of quantum technology.

If the new government is following the plans already laid by its Conservative predecessor, which appears likely, the previous goals for the quantum mission might well still be in place. 

That includes the UK having quantum based computers capable of running one trillion operations simultaneously across key sectors of the economy, as well as the framework of a quantum internet, and a host of quantum solutions across education, transport, telecoms, energy and defence, all by the relatively soon target of 2035.