After losing the AI race, can Europe win on quantum?
Two specialists weigh Europe's scientific strengths against its weakness in patents and industrialisation.
In an analysis published by Atlantico on 20 July 2026, Olivier Ezratty and Lionel Martellini examine whether Europe, left behind in artificial intelligence, can establish itself in quantum technologies. Their reading is mixed.
Why it matters
The comparison with AI is the question European policymakers keep returning to. This piece sets out, without triumphalism, what Europe actually holds and what it lacks to convert research into industry.
Key takeaways
- According to the article, Europe files about 6 percent of the world's quantum patents, against 46 percent for China.
- Europe nonetheless hosts around a third of the sector's startups.
- The authors are Olivier Ezratty, author and co-founder of the Quantum Energy Initiative, and Lionel Martellini, founding director of the EDHEC Quantum Institute.
- Sharing the piece, Lionel Martellini stresses that private capital, scale-up capacity and a coordinated European ambition are what is missing to turn scientific excellence into industrial leadership.
In an analysis published by Atlantico on 20 July 2026, Olivier Ezratty and Lionel Martellini ask whether Europe, largely outpaced in artificial intelligence, can make a different showing in quantum technologies.
Their assessment avoids both alarm and boosterism. On the weak side, the article reports that Europe files about 6 percent of the world's quantum patents, against 46 percent for China. On the stronger side, Europe hosts roughly a third of the sector's startups, alongside its research base.
Sharing the piece on LinkedIn, Lionel Martellini puts the gap plainly: Europe has world-class research, talent and a lively startup ecosystem, but converting scientific excellence into industrial leadership still requires private capital, scale-up capacity and a coordinated European ambition.
Technology
Use case
Organization
Country / Region
Keep exploring
France's audit office takes stock of quantum computing support
Public money was well managed, says the Cour des comptes, but the strategy no longer matches the pace of international competition.
In a report published in July 2026, the French audit office reviews the national quantum strategy. It finds real but fragile successes, and warns that a phase of consolidation, and sometimes predation, of French companies has already begun.
Cour des comptes·20 Jul 2026
CNRS: how French quantum research is moving toward industry
Patents, pre-maturation and startups, as France adds one billion euros to its quantum strategy.
The CNRS describes the chain that carries quantum research from the laboratory to industry, from patents to startup creation. It holds around 70 patent families in quantum, and five French startups now build quantum computers.
CNRS·25 Jun 2026
A US executive order to push quantum to the next frontier
Signed 22 June 2026, it launches a national effort on quantum computers, sensors, supply chains and workforce, with deadlines for federal agencies.
A US executive order, signed on 22 June 2026, sets a national push on quantum: building quantum computers for science, developing next-generation sensors, strengthening the supply chain and training a workforce, with deadlines assigned to several federal agencies.