French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a fresh €1 billion investment in quantum computing, warning that France and the wider European Union risk falling behind the United States and China in the global technology race.

Macron made the announcement on Friday during a visit to a supercomputing facility in Bruyeres-le-Chatel, south of Paris, where he stressed the need for Europe to accelerate investments in emerging technologies.

“The speed of our competitors requires that we shift into a higher gear” and “change the scale” of investment, Macron said.

Quantum computing is widely regarded as one of the next major frontiers in technology, with the potential to solve highly complex problems far faster than traditional computers. Experts believe the technology could transform sectors ranging from medicine and materials science to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

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Macron pointed to rapid advancements in the United States, where both government agencies and private technology firms have significantly expanded investment in the sector.

His remarks came as the US Commerce Department announced more than $2 billion in public funding for private quantum technology companies.

France had already committed €2.3 billion toward quantum research since 2021, including projects linked to the country’s defence sector.

In addition to the new quantum package, Macron announced another €550 million in public funding for semiconductor development under a broader European initiative, adding to the €5.5 billion already committed since 2022.

“In all of these questions, there’s a battle over sovereignty that is being fought and must absolutely be won… technological dependencies will more and more become industrial and strategic dependencies,” he stated.

The French president also renewed calls for stronger European cooperation in technology development, insisting that the continent must build its own independent digital and computing infrastructure.

He advocated for a European quantum ecosystem “designed, built and operated by European companies, free from any legislation with extra-territorial reach”.

The comments come amid growing concerns across Europe over reliance on American technology firms for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.

Separately, American chipmaker Nvidia announced an investment in French quantum start-up Alice and Bob.

Macron also criticised aspects of the EU’s regulatory and financial systems, arguing that existing rules were limiting Europe’s ability to create globally competitive technology companies.

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“What is the strength of the Americans? They have an integrated market. They have actors at continental scale who make massive investments,” he said.

“We create regulations for the banks and insurers… preventing them from financing innovation.”

He further called for increased EU-wide investment and reforms to competition policy to allow European technology champions to emerge.

Macron is expected to continue pushing for expanded European investment policies ahead of negotiations on the EU’s 2028–2034 budget framework, despite anticipated resistance from countries such as Germany.

The French leader is also scheduled to host international investors at the annual Choose France summit at the Palace of Versailles on June 1, while Paris will host a meeting of G7 digital ministers later this month ahead of the G7 summit in Evian in June.

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