In this three-part article series, Benedict Lane (TU Delft) and Pieter Vermaas (TU Delft) explore the ethical, social, and political dimensions of allocating access to quantum technology. They address questions ranging from meaningful use and potential end users to the relationship between open science and security. Within the OpenSuperQPlus project, the two researchers reflect on the ethical dimensions of quantum technologies.
OpenSuperQPlus – the European effort to build a large quantum computer with superconducting qubits – is making rapid progress and will soon offer larger functioning prototypes. With this development, questions of who gets access to quantum computing are becoming urgent. Choices made today about access to quantum computing will shape the development, impact, and public acceptance of quantum computing technologies into the future. Getting it right from the start is essential for ensuring these potentially powerful technologies serve the public good.
Choices about access directly influence which applications of quantum computing are explored and exploited, and by whom. With the potential for both positive and negative impacts – from innovative drug discovery to invasive digital surveillance – controlling access becomes a way of steering use. Equitable access can help prioritise scientifically, industrially, and socially valuable use cases and guard against harmful ones.
Choices about access determine which use cases are identified in the first place. Naïve access policies can concentrate use cases within narrow, well-resourced sectors, risking what the World Economic Forum has called a "two-speed" development of quantum applications – whereby applications of particular interest to certain dominant groups are developed quicker than applications that serve the interests of a more inclusive range of stakeholders. For example, pharmaceutical companies invest heavily in quantum computing to speed up drug discovery and drive profits, while socially beneficial applications of quantum computing with looser links to industry, such as climate modelling and water stress forecasting, languish from underinvestment. Broader access enables identification of overlooked problems and novel solutions. Hackathons and open competitions like Pasqal’s [re]Generative Quantum Challenge show how grassroots participation can uncover socially beneficial uses.
Access is not just about short-term use – it is about cultivating long-term social and technical capacities. An access framework that includes non-experts, for example, can help build quantum literacy across society, starting with students and young people. Initiatives like the Open Quantum Institute’s Education Consortium show how early access fosters understanding and participation. Smart access decisions can also upskill existing experts, reduce talent bottlenecks, and prevent talent and knowledge inequalities from deepening as quantum computing technologies advance – this is essential for developing a robust European quantum ecosystem.
Major European funding initiatives, such as the OpenSuperQplus project, demonstrate the strong research-policy relevance of further developing quantum computing. However, this future technology must be built on a socially inclusive and secure political foundation to fully unfold its innovation potential across scientific, societal, and industrial domains.
Interested to find out more? Stay tuned for our second article, which will explore the ongoing dialogue between the matters of security and ethics on the one hand, and requirements of open science on the other. Furthermore, we will present insights and opinions from OSQ+ researchers following an anonymous survey conducted throughout August 2025.
Benedict Lane, j.b.h.lane@tudelft.nl
Pieter Vermaas, p.e.vermaas@tudelft.nl