Europe Commands 30% of Quantum Research as 90% of Professionals Doubt Near-Term Impact
Updated
Updated · the-european.eu · Sep 7
Europe Commands 30% of Quantum Research as 90% of Professionals Doubt Near-Term Impact
3 articles · Updated · the-european.eu · Sep 7
Summary
Europe’s EU-UK-Switzerland bloc produced about 30% of quantum publications among the top 15 research countries, ahead of the U.S. at 28% and China at 18%, ESSEC’s 2026 Digital Disruption Matrix found.
28.6% of quantum unicorns and their funding are also based in Europe, yet nine in 10 professionals said quantum’s impact is at least two years away or may never reach their sector.
1,000 professionals across 41 countries were surveyed for the study, and half said quantum would bring either no impact or only a minor one; French respondents were especially doubtful, with 22.1% saying it would never affect their sector.
The same report showed a sharper commercial split in other technologies: 98% to 100% of respondents expect generative and agentic AI to affect business, while the U.S. controls 77.8% of AI unicorns and 94% of their funding.
China stood out in robotics with 38.3% of global unicorns and nearly double U.S. research output, underscoring ESSEC’s broader finding that scientific leadership and market conviction often diverge by technology and region.