NATO chief calls for creation of transatlantic quantum community

LONDON

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday called for the development of a transatlantic quantum community, harnessing the power of this technology for security.

Speaking at the Copenhagen Quantum Conference, Stoltenberg underlined the importance of close collaboration among public, private and academic sectors, and the acceleration of responsible innovation.

"NATO has always adapted to and adopted new technologies to keep our people safe ... with the rapid spread of disruptive technologies, we must adapt further and faster than ever before, including in the field of quantum," he noted.

He noted that they need to make sure these technologies "work for us – not against us."

Stoltenberg also confirmed that NATO will have developed a quantum strategy by the end of this year, to ensure the Alliance is "quantum-ready" and "able to integrate the right technologies into our capabilities and protect against adversarial use," NATO said in a statement.

Later, he opened the new NATO accelerator site "Deep Tech Lab – Quantum" that would help start-ups from across the Alliance commercialize quantum-enabled solutions, as part of NATO’s new Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).