To strengthen the EU’s next generation of digital infrastructure, two key European Partnerships are building capacity in quantum computing and 5G/6G networks.
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, focused on High Performance Computing, just announced the selection of the sites, who will host the first six European quantum computers. Integrated into existing supercomputer facilities, the computers in the Czech Republic (IT4I), Germany (LRZ), Spain (BSC-CNS), France (GENCI-CEA), Italy (CINECA) and Poland (PSNC) should form a quantum research network across Europe. In total €100 million are earmarked for investment in these computers, co-financed by the EU and 17 of the 32 EuroHPC countries. The facilities will be available for academic and industry researchers from the EU. The participating countries in the Joint Undertaking include both Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe. Given Swiss current non-association to the programme, Swiss entities are excluded from much of the Quantum Computer research funded through Horizon Europe, it is currently not foreseen that Swiss researchers will be given access to the new Quantum Computers.
The quantum computers should be involved in research covering various areas, like health, climate change, logistics or energy. The longer-term hope for these systems is that they will be several orders of magnitude faster, and more energy efficient, than traditional computing systems. Projects planned for the computers, set to begin already by the second half of 2023, include creating a digital twin of the human body for the development of new pharmaceuticals in virtual drug tests, solving complex logistical or scheduling problems or creating a virtual environment for the development and testing of new materials ranging from polymers to catalysts used in cars, aeroplanes, solar cells or superconductors.
The new Quantum Computers are part of the European Commission’s (EC) roadmap towards the goal of a digital decade. Apart from setting up hardware facilities, the initiative includes also the development of quantum software and establishing Centres for Excellence for Science and Industry.
The responsible Partnership EuroHPC was created in 2018 and now brings together 32 countries of which 17 are a part of its Quantum initiative. Already at the end of 2021, the High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator hybrid project (HPCQS) was funded, integrating 2 quantum simulators with each about 100+ quantum bits in the Supercomputers Joliot-Curie of GENCI in France and JUWELS of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Germany. All of this fits in the Quantum Technologies Flagship initiative, launched in 2018 by the EU planning investments of €1 billion in a 10 year timeframe. It was based on the Quantum Manifesto published in 2016 by European quantum stakeholders.
Almost at the same time, the new Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) started officially and published the 35 selected projects of their first Call, which closed 26 April 2022. The SNS JU aims to foster the evolution of existing 5G technologies and corresponding ecosystems as well as to promote the development of new 6G technologies. To meet these objectives, a total budget of about €250 million is planned under Horizon Europe. The SNS JU and its actions will seek to promote European leadership in developing and deploying next generation network technologies, while contributing to UN – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for sustainable, resilient and climate neutral network infrastructures and services.
The selected projects are assigned to one of four streams. Seven projects belong to ‘smart communication components, systems and networks for 5G mid-term evolution systems’, nineteen to ‘research for revolutionary technology advancement towards 6G’ and three to ‘SNS experimental infrastructures’. Four projects as well as two additional Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) belong to ‘large-scale SNS trials and pilots’.
The SNS JU was created in November 2021. The Partnership aims to step up the green and digital transition and is jointly led by the EC and 6G-IA, an industry association combining telecoms and digital actors, operators, manufacturer, research institutes, universities, SMEs, and ICT associations. The total €900 million, which are budgeted by the EC for the timeframe 2021-2027, will be complemented by commensurate funding by the private sector. By pooling resources and aligning research and innovation of 5G and 6G, the Partnership should foster EU network sovereignty and boost 5G deployment.
In general, the Calls of the SNS JU allow Swiss participation – with some limitations. In cases where calls are covering strategic important or critical topics for the EC and are planned to continue over the long term, even beyond the current work programme, non-associated third countries, like Switzerland might be excluded. In this call round 3 out of the total 16 Calls excluded Swiss participants. The second Call round of SNS JU is planned for January 2023.