G7 and Australia sign deal on quantum tech benchmarks

October 16, 2025 The GIST G7 and Australia sign deal on quantum tech benchmarks edited by Andrew Zinin Andrew Zinin lead editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked reputable news agency proofread Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Scientists from the G7 nations and Australia signed an "unprecedented agreement" regarding quantum technology on Wednesday, France's national metrology lab told AFP. The deal between laboratories involved in the science of measurement hopes to establish benchmarks regarding progress in areas such as quantum computers. The field has seen leading tech giants claim breakthroughs in recent years that have later been questioned by researchers. The goal of the new agreement "is to work together better and faster on major yet still very emerging quantum technologies," Thomas Grenon, the director general of France's National Metrology and Testing Laboratory (LNE), told AFP. For 150 years, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures has provided the framework for a common system of measurements for the countries that signed up to the Metre Convention. "This is what allows the kilogram, for example, to have the same value in Paris and New York, today or tomorrow," Grenon said. "It seems completely obvious, but if you think about it, it absolutely is not—the kilogram does not exist in nature, it is a human projection." Wednesday's deal hopes to set standards for quantum technology in the same spirit. Quantum computing uses principles of quantum physics—the science that governs the behavior of particles at the smallest scales—to unlock new ways of processing information. And as scientific understanding progresses, so do our definitions. Until 2019, the kilogram was defined as the mass of one liter of water. However, since then, it has been defined by what is known as Planck's constant, which relates to the quantum nature of energy. At the last G7 meeting, held in Canada in June, the group's member states and Australia decided to collaborate on establishing benchmarks that are "prerequisites for the development of quantum technologies". Teams at France's LNE are already working on establishing benchmarks to measure the performance of future quantum computers. Alongside other international labs, they are also looking into quantum bits—or qbits—and sensors. "If you want to objectively compare the speed of a quantum computer against other computers, you need to build global benchmarks that are as widely shared as possible; otherwise, everyone will create their own," Grenon said. "We need to develop metrics that allow for comparison." The G7 nations are the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK. © 2025 AFP Citation: G7 and Australia sign deal on quantum tech benchmarks (2025, October 16) retrieved 24 October 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-10-g7-australia-quantum-tech-benchmarks.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 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