Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Oral evidence: Innovation showcase, HC 523
Tuesday 14 October 2025
Ordered by the House of Commons to be published on 14 October 2025.
Members present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Kit Malthouse; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Mark Wrigley.
Question 39
Witness
I: Dr Sebastian Weidt, Co-Founder and CEO, Universal Quantum.
Witness: Dr Sebastian Weidt.
Chair: Welcome to today’s session of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee and our innovation showcase. The Committee wants to understand how the UK supports innovators, and what more can be done. To inform our work we select an innovator to share their story before our main evidence session each week. Martin has selected today’s innovator, and will introduce him.
Q39 Martin Wrigley: Thank you very much, Chair. I welcome Dr Sebastian Weidt, who is co-founder of Universal Quantum. It is a fantastic thing that we have a world-leading quantum computing facility in Haywards Heath. Why that amuses me I don’t know; I suppose it is because my mother’s family were in Haywards Heath and it always felt like a sleepy Sussex town, but clearly it isn’t.
I have to declare an interest, in that my nephew works for the company, which is how I came across them, but from conversations with Sebastian it is clear that they are in a very unusual position—with emerging technology, in which we are potentially world leaders, which we need to maintain—as start-ups looking for funding, and with all the various technology traps that we have talked about in this Committee over time. This is a time, and an opportunity, for the country not to make the same mistakes that we made with AI, losing control to other nationalities, but to enforce the UK’s lead in this emerging and transformational technology.
Dr Weidt: Thank you so much, Martin. Chair, distinguished members of the Committee, colleagues and guests, thank you so much for the opportunity to speak today. As was mentioned, I am co-founder and CEO of Universal Quantum. I am also professor of quantum computing and entrepreneurship at the University of Sussex, and I want to tell you a little more about what we do and what would be really helpful for us.
In a nutshell, we are building quantum computers designed to transform entire industries, societies and economies, and our mission is quite simple, but it is ambitious in scope: it is to build utility-scale quantum computers that solve some of the most impactful real world problems. If you will allow me, I will give a little more detail about what that work looks like.
Universal Quantum designs and builds quantum computers to solve the sorts of problems that go way beyond what you could do using some of the most powerful supercomputers that we have access to today. The quantum computing machines that you hear about in the news today are all small prototype machines. They can run proof of concept, but they cannot really unlock the vast majority of commercial opportunities that this technology offers to deliver. To achieve this, quantum computers need to scale from today’s tens or hundreds of qubits to, eventually, millions of high-quality qubits. That requires a completely different way of building them.
At Universal Quantum we focus on scalability from the start. We have developed a novel modular chip architecture that uses trapped ions, and does not need extreme cooling. Fully integrated chip modules are manufactured in commercial silicon foundries, tested individually and then linked together using a really novel and high-quality technology that we have developed to scale up seamlessly. Universal Quantum’s modular architecture means that we can build machines that grow in size and capability without breaking down under their own complexity. It is the difference between a laboratory experiment and a computer that can change industries.
Why does this matter? As mentioned before, classical computing is extraordinary—it is amazing—but it has limits. Major problems that you find in chemistry, materials science, logistics, defence and energy, to name just a few, are way too complex for even the fastest computers to solve them. Quantum computing promises to address these challenges, but we must build machines that can scale to millions of qubits to make that a reality.
That, indeed, is the market opportunity. We are building machines engineered to capture applications across the utility spectrum, addressing complex challenges, with large market impact: pharmaceutical firms accelerating drug pipelines, logistics companies optimising supply chains, energy providers designing new materials for batteries and fusion, financial services tackling risk models, and Governments strengthening national security. Our ambition, to be very clear, is not to build a billion-pound company. With the right support, we have the opportunity to build a billion-pound company here in the UK.
The societal impact could be profound. Quantum computing truly represents one of the defining technological frontiers of our age. As has been mentioned, we have grown a university spin-out into a globally recognised leader in modular quantum architectures. Outside the UK we have entities in Germany, the US and Denmark, and are in the process of expanding our efforts in the EU and Asia. These nations have become major supporters of Universal Quantum, which is demonstrated through, for example, contracts worth in excess of €70 million from Germany, to deliver world-leading quantum computing capabilities. Yet here in the UK, despite this being a British company employing British engineers and scientists, we have not received that level of Government support. The contrast is really stark.
The UK is rich in scientific talent. Our universities, research base and entrepreneurial culture all give the UK a really strong foundation in quantum, but there are challenges that we must address if we are to stop key quantum computing capabilities being lost to foreign players. We need to go further than building UK-based research and development centres that other nations leverage, achieving quantum superiority. True sovereign quantum capability can be achieved only through the creation and procurement of fault-tolerant quantum computers made in Britain.
What can we—indeed, must we—do? First, investment speed: the ambition is clearly present in the UK, but the deployment of capital through entities like the British Business Bank and the National Growth Fund remains too slow and risk-averse. In a field where other nations are moving with urgency, speed of execution is as important as the scale of the commitment. Crucially, if these institutions would act as fast-moving lead investors, that would unlock significant follow-on capital already in the market.
Second, infrastructure: we must build facilities here in the UK that not only house utility-scale quantum computers but also manufacture them for global export. Universal Quantum is ready to act as an anchor for such a site—a development that could catalyse major investment and regional growth, and place the UK firmly on the global stage.
Third, anchor customers: Germany has contracted us to build machines for them. The UK has not. If we want to develop a sovereign capability in quantum computing, now is the time to act. What is required is serious procurement that demonstrates that the UK intends to scale and support its home-grown leading companies. Potential investors are watching closely; they want to see not only international excitement but domestic commitment.
Fourth, defence and security: quantum computing has clear applications for national defence, and we have already carried out unfunded work, for example, analysing potential use cases for the global combat air programme. A joint DSIT and MOD quantum plan could act as a powerful bridge to accelerate adoption in this crucial area. The MOD has the agility to be an anchor customer and, in doing so, to strengthen both sovereign capability and strategic partnerships across NATO.
Finally, international support: when we engage with foreign Governments on large deals, they often ask whether we have senior-level Government support. To date, this has not always been easy to demonstrate. Greater co-ordination between commercial engagement and bilateral state-level efforts would significantly enhance our ability to export great British innovation.
None of these is a theoretical ask. These are practical steps that would help us to ensure that the UK retains its sovereign capability in quantum computing. They would show investors and international partners that Britain is serious about leading in this field. Members of the Committee, colleagues and guests, the UK has a genuine opportunity to lead the quantum era. We have the science, the talent and the entrepreneurial drive, but, make no mistake, this is a global race. The UK has an unfair advantage with home-grown talent, but risks losing it if decisive actions are not taken at pace. It requires investment, purposeful procurement and a commitment to anchoring core capabilities here on our shores.
In the age of empire, Britain did not give its shipyards away. It built the world’s most advanced fleets at home, and exported what those ships discovered. You cannot be sure to capture the value of exploration if you do not own the ships. Britain understood that back in the 1600s. Quantum computing is our generation’s shipbuilding revolution. Let us keep the hardware development, the tools, the knowledge and the talent on our shores, and export the discoveries that follow.
At Universal Quantum we are ready. We are building machines designed to solve humanity’s most complex problems. It says it in our tagline: “Solve scale. Change world.” If we succeed, the societal and economic impact will be immense: new drugs discovered, new energy sources unlocked, new national capabilities strengthened, and new industries created. Quantum computing is one of the defining technologies of our time. With the right support the UK will be not just a participant but a leader. Thank you. It has been a great pleasure delivering this message today. [Applause.]
Chair: Thank you so much, Dr Weidt—and also Martin, for the introduction. You can see from the reaction of the entire Committee that you have inspired us with the possibilities and opportunities, and the UK’s and your company’s leadership—but also the challenges, which we have repeatedly heard about and encountered. You can be assured that this Committee is committed to holding the Government up to scrutiny on this issue of quantum computing, as well as more generally on the commercialisation and diffusion of technology. Thank you very much.