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As of January 1, 2026, TRUMPF will take over the leadership of the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC) – a regular change that offers new perspectives and further strengthens the interdisciplinary nature of the consortium’s collaboration.

As a technology-driven company with strong ties to mechanical engineering, networked manufacturing and laser technology, TRUMPF will contribute specific fields of application to the consortium’s work. In addition to the overarching QUTAC topics addressed by the working groups, we aim to place a focus on post-quantum cryptography to secure data in the quantum era and on photonic computing for the efficient use of AI. 

The new leadership team consists of Berthold Schmidt (Chairperson of the Executive Committee) and Florian Dommert (Chairperson of the Steering Committee).

QUTAC would like to express our sincere thanks to Abdu Mudesir, Oliver Holschke and Andreas Fier from Deutsche Telekom for actively leading the consortium in the second half of 2025. Their commitment has strengthened QUTAC’s visibility in German and European politics – for example through the DE-FR Quantum Dialogue and a side event at the EU summit on digital sovereignty. They also expanded internal knowledge exchange – an important step toward a shared positioning. 

With the EU Quantum Act, the European Commission is sending a clear signal for the industrial application of quantum technologies. As the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC) – a consortium of 14 leading companies from Germany and Europe – we strongly welcome this political initiative. We see it as our responsibility to contribute our industry-driven expertise to the implementation and to specifically strengthen Europe’s innovative capacity in the field of quantum technologies.

In our position paper on the EU Quantum Act, we provide specific recommendations for action to effectively advance the industrial use of quantum technologies.

Strengthening quantum technologies is critical for Europe’s future and digital sovereignty. In this spirit, the French Embassy in Germany in Berlin, alongside QUTAC, hosted a high-level breakfast event as part of the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty. This summit, led by France and Germany, aims to accelerate the development of a sovereign digital future for Europe.

The exclusive side event focused on fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation through a French-German approach to quantum ecosystems. Special attention was given to end users, with selected representatives from politics, leading companies, quantum startups and scale-ups, and research institutions from both France and Germany in attendance.

Following an opening address from Dr. Petr Ledl (Deutsche Telekom), the event featured three keynotes from Emmanuel Suquet (Deputy Ambassador of France to Germany), Dr. Reinhard Ploss (Representative of QUTAC), and Dr. Niccolò Somaschi (CEO, Quandela). The speakers highlighted the essential role of quantum technology in securing Europe’s digital sovereignty.

The official conclusions from the Franco-German Dialogue of Quantum Technology Players were also publicly released. This dialogue, organized in September by QUTAC, Le Lab Quantique, Quandela, CEA, and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, with support from the French Embassy in Berlin and the German Embassy in Paris, along with the European Champions Alliance, marked a significant step forward in shaping Europe’s quantum technology landscape.

Additionally, QUTAC presented its Quantum Computing Monitor (QC-Monitor), a tool designed to visualize Germany’s progress in the application of quantum computing. This initiative aims to support the ecosystem through regular monitoring and provide measurable insights via 24 regularly updated KPIs. The goal is to drive data-driven improvements and offer a clear outlook for the future of quantum computing.

Quantum Technologies hold great economic potential. That is why it is in Europe’s interest to secure a leading position in their development and industrial application. The French German Dialogue of Quantum Technology Players on September 23, 2025 in Paris and Massy (France), was organized by the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC), Le lab Quantique, Quandela, CEA, Fraunhofer, with support from the French embassy in Germany and the German embassy in France. The dialogue brought together more than 60 experts, managers and decision-makers from innovation, corporates, research and public authorities from France and Germany. Following the dialogue, participants identified the following key challenges for building Europe’s quantum future.

QUTAC’s mission is to lead quantum computing towards a successful industrial application. But to unlock the technology’s economic potential, we must first understand and strengthen the ecosystem that enables it.  

The QUTAC Quantum Computing Monitor is a framework of 24 key performance indicators designed to assess the German quantum technology ecosystem’s progress and challenges. Thus, with this monitor, QUTAC makes Germany’s performance in quantum application visible and measurable.  

Such data creates a valuable basis for analysis, which should also guide Germany’s industrial policies, such as the new High-Tech Agenda. Thus, QUTAC is happy to be part of the agenda’s kick-off event on October 10, 2025 and to share further insights from the monitor with decision-makers from both industry and politics.  

The latest update of our Quantum Computing Monitor with the 2025 dataset is online now on the QUTAC website.

In a guest article in Tagesspiegel, QUTAC representatives Dr. Reinhard Ploss and Caroline Bürsgens formulate five recommendations for the successful implementation of the German government’s High-Tech Agenda.  

Based on findings from the position paper and the consortium’s Quantum Computing Monitor, they outline the conditions for a successful industrialization initiative in quantum computing. 

Their five most important recommendations are: 

To this end, industrial cooperation must be strengthened while quantum technologies are considered holistically. At the same time, Germany must invest in quantum technologies broadly as well as in the development and retention of skilled workers, successful governance and EU-wide cooperation specifically.