Global Survey Finds 90% of Quantum Companies Rely on Cross-Border Supply Chains

Global Survey Finds 90% of Quantum Companies Rely on Cross-Border Supply Chains A benchmark international study released at the Quantum World Congress 2026 highlights that the supply chains supporting the global quantum economy are deeply interconnected across national borders. Jointly published by a coalition of international industry consortia—including the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC), Quantum Industry Canada (QIC), UKQuantum, Japan’s Q-STAR, the Korea Quantum Industry Association (KQIA), and India’s QURECA ecosystem—the Global Quantum Supply Chain Flows report mapped cross-border trade flows across 160 quantum enterprises headquartered in 15 countries. The survey data reveals that 90% of quantum companies rely on at least one foreign supplier for specialized hardware components or software, while 74% serve commercial customers abroad. Respondent companies reported sourcing inputs across 36 supplier countries, exporting to 49 customer countries, and maintaining manufacturing operations across 25 countries. The findings underline the tension facing policymakers attempting to implement national protectionist trade controls without disrupting access to critical international deep-tech suppliers. [ Global Quantum Supply Chain Flows 2026 Key Survey Benchmarks ]Supply Chain MetricSurvey Quantile & AveragesMacroeconomic & Trade TakeawayForeign Supplier Dependency• 90% of respondents (Median: 3 supplier countries)• High reliance on international cryogenics, lasers, and control electronics.International Market Reach• 74% of respondents (Median: 3 customer countries)• Global market access is vital for commercial scaling and revenue.Top Geographic Hubs• United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan• Taken as a bloc, the European Union represents the 2nd largest hub.Enterprise Scale Disparities• Micro-SMEs (1–9 employees) to Large (250+ employees)• Even early-stage startups require cross-border supplier networks. The report highlights that quantum component suppliers (cryogenics, photonics, control electronics, specialized materials) report broader geographic export reach than full-system QPU developers, reflecting the pre-commercial state of end-user quantum computing hardware relative to mature subsystem manufacturing. Industry leaders from QED-C, QuIC, UKQuantum, QIC, KQIA, and QURECA emphasized that long-term technology sovereignty and economic security require allied nations to establish multilateral frameworks that preserve trusted trade channels while protecting sensitive dual-use technologies. Download the full report via QED-C Global Quantum Supply Chain Portal here. September 23, 2026 Mohamed Abdel-Kareem2026-09-23T21:50:22-07:00 Leave A Comment Cancel replyComment Type in the text displayed above Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.