(Yicai) Sept. 22 -- The United Kingdom needs to sustain support for quantum businesses and develop applications alongside research to turn its scientific strengths into commercial growth, according to a senior adviser to the country's quantum program.

Helping companies expand while maintaining the research base behind their technologies is a priority, Peter Knight, chair of the UK National Quantum Technologies Program's strategic advisory board, said at Cambridge Tech Week's Quantum & Artificial Intelligence session on Sept. 17.

Cambridge Tech Week ran from Sept. 14 to 18 under the theme "How Deep Tech Changes the World." Researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers got together to discuss how emerging technologies can move into wider commercial use.

The research base and companies translating discoveries into practical technologies must remain closely connected, Knight stressed, noting that applications should develop alongside tech so that businesses and end users can see its value.

Around GBP1 billion (USD1.3 billion) of public investment in the National Quantum Technologies Program's initial phase was broadly matched by industry support, Knight said. That helped build a critical mass of expertise and companies, but the next stage would require a further push, he added.

Continuity of support is essential, he pointed out. The challenge is to identify mechanisms that can help British companies scale up and ensure that support is sustained as they grow, he added.

The UK's National Quantum Strategy, published in 2023, committed GBP2.5 billion to quantum research and development over the 10 years starting 2024. Knight outlined opportunities beyond computing, including quantum networks, navigation and timing, medical imaging, and infrastructure sensing.

Longer-term ambitions include UK-based quantum computers capable of performing one trillion operations by 2035 and a large-scale quantum network. Other missions target benefits in healthcare, navigation, and infrastructure monitoring by 2030.

Achieving those goals will require cross-sector cooperation, Knight stressed. Scientific and engineering talent, shared expertise, and alliances between academia, industry, and government are central to shortening the journey from research to deployment, he added.

The quantum session's agenda reflected that emphasis on practical value, examining the problems driving AI and quantum adoption, and showcasing the transition from proof of concept to deployment.

Chinese robotics companies, including Dobot and D-Robotics, also drew interest in Cambridge through the week's fringe activities. The two firms took part in the Cambridge AI × Robotics Roundtable on Sept. 18, jointly initiated by NPZ Technology and Cambridge Collaborative Ventures.

The roundtable's theme was "From Digital Intelligence to Physical Impact." Its central question was practical: How can AI, robotics, and deployment capabilities be combined to create physical AI solutions that British customers can adopt and scale?

That framing shifts the debate away from whether a model or a robot can work in a demonstration, to the harder test of whether camera-based perception, hardware, software, safety governance, data deployment, local servicing, and supply chains can be connected into a reliable system for the physical world. 

Chinese companies bring manufacturing depth and mature robotics supply chains, while the UK -- and Cambridge in particular -- offers strengths in AI research, engineering talent, and specialized applications. The opportunity lies in making those capabilities work together, through component ties and joint pilots, as well as finished-machine sales.

Editor: Martin Kadiev