Poland's Quantum Landscape: PIAST-Q, Research Centers and the Strategy Debate
The short version
Poland is an example of a country where the science is ahead of the policy. Strong teams exist in Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow, Torun and Poznan, and a European quantum computer is installed. What the community says is missing is a national plan with a stable budget. This page separates what is confirmed from what is only proposed. For the bigger regional picture, see the Europe overview.
PIAST-Q: a EuroHPC quantum computer
The European Commission said that PIAST-Q, the first of six EuroHPC quantum computers ordered in Europe, was inaugurated in Poland in June 2025. It is operated by the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PCSS). A Polish outlet (XYZ) reports it is a trapped-ion machine from Austria's Alpine Quantum Technologies with more than 20 qubits, costing EUR 12.28 million with half funded by EuroHPC and the rest by Polish ministries; AQT's own press release, as summarized by search, says 20 physical qubits, so treat the exact qubit count as about 20. The cost comes from press reports. If trapped ions are new to you, read the trapped-ion guide, and for the program see EuroHPC quantum computers.
Poland also co-funds the VLQ machine in Czechia as one of eight partner countries; see the Czech page.
Other systems and projects
The same outlet lists smaller systems: a 5-qubit IQM Spark at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology for training, a Warsaw trapped-calcium-ion prototype called MIKOK at CEZAMAT, still in development, and a 54-qubit IQM Radiance ordered by a company in Zielona Gora for installation in the fourth quarter of 2026. It also reports a Krakow plan, led by the rolling-stock maker Newag with three Krakow universities, for a large computer costing PLN 100 to 150 million, with a letter of intent signed and arrival in 2027 only if partners agree. That one is a proposal, not a purchase.
Separately, The Quantum Insider reported on 26 May 2026 that Poznan University of Technology launched an IQM Radiance system for research and education, and will start a Quantum Technologies engineering program in October 2026.
QLAB at the University of Warsaw
On 11 June 2026 the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) announced PLN 30 million, about EUR 7 million, for the Center for Hybrid Quantum-Classical Information Technologies, known as QLAB. It comes from the European Funds for a Modern Economy program through the International Research Agendas call. Seven projects were evaluated and only this one was funded. It is led by Prof. Magdalena Stobinska-Moretto and targets secure quantum networks, energy-efficient AI algorithms and ultrasensitive measurement. Earlier, the ICTQT center in Gdansk, a joint unit of the University of Gdansk and the Vienna quantum institute IQOQI, received PLN 35 million from the same foundation, per the foundation's earlier International Research Agendas program (the award dates from about 2018).
The strategy debate
In August 2025 the Ministry of Digital Affairs published draft assumptions for a quantum technology development policy, reported by ITwiz on 29 August 2025. The draft was open to public consultation until 30 September 2025 and, as reported, recommends at least EUR 1 billion of public investment over about 10 years, with phases from 2025 to 2027, 2028 to 2030 and 2031 to 2035. It is a draft proposal, not confirmed money. In a September 2025 interview, Prof. Konrad Banaszek, who chairs the Quantum Technologies Cluster (Q Cluster), said Poland remains among countries without a national quantum strategy and that the draft was written without real dialogue with Polish quantum researchers, in his view. The Q Cluster, a group of about 30 entities, issued a manifesto in autumn 2024. As reported, it proposes a budget of one per mille of GDP per year, and says money should build Polish technology and intellectual property, not only buy foreign machines. The interview also says the Ministry of Digital Affairs has quantum sections in its digitalisation strategy.
For the security side, see post-quantum cryptography for the basics.
We could not confirm that the draft policy has been finally adopted. Check the Ministry of Digital Affairs for the latest.
What Polish researchers say is the opportunity
A December 2024 interview with Banaszek says Poland's best near-term prospects are quantum communication, sensors and metrology rather than competing on full-scale computers. Those fields can reach the market sooner. He also warned about "quantum-washing," where products are labeled quantum without using quantum principles. See the sensing guide and the headline red flags checklist.
What to watch
- Whether the government adopts a national quantum strategy with a budget and timeline.
- Whether the Krakow large-computer plan gets a legal structure and a supplier.
- First user results from PIAST-Q and the 2026 installations.
- QLAB's industrial demonstrators.
Education only, not financial advice. The QNT memecoin is independent and has no connection to Polish programs or any quantum company.
Sources and further reading
- European Commission: Europe inaugurates its second quantum computer (23 September 2025)
- EuroHPC JU: Inauguration of PIAST-Q (23 June 2025)
- ITwiz: Ministry of Digital Affairs publishes quantum policy assumptions (29 August 2025, in Polish)
- XYZ: Poland's quantum race gets a PLN 150m boost
- QLAB, University of Warsaw: PLN 30 million from FNP (11 June 2026)
- ITwiz: Poland waits for a quantum strategy (22 September 2025, in Polish)
- Science in Poland: Poland's quantum leap (4 December 2024)
- The Quantum Insider: Poznan University of Technology unveils IQM computer
Reported as of 2026-10-09. Research moves fast, so check the original papers and official pages.
Frequently asked questions
Does Poland have a national quantum strategy?
Not confirmed. The Ministry of Digital Affairs published draft policy assumptions in August 2025 (consultation to 30 September 2025), and the Q Cluster was calling for a full strategy. We could not confirm final adoption, so check the ministry.
What is PIAST-Q?
A EuroHPC quantum computer at the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center, inaugurated on 23 June 2025 per EuroHPC. It is a trapped-ion system of about 20 qubits from Alpine Quantum Technologies.
What is QLAB?
A new University of Warsaw center for hybrid quantum-classical technologies, awarded PLN 30 million by the Foundation for Polish Science on 11 June 2026.
Is this connected to the QNT memecoin?
No. The QNT memecoin is independent and unrelated to Polish programs or to any quantum company.
Keep reading
- Europe's Quantum Landscape: Countries, Companies and the Big Picture
A plain English map of Europe's quantum push in 2026: national plans, flagship programs, shared supercomputer-linked machines and the startups behind them. - EuroHPC Quantum Computers: Europe's Shared Machines Explained
What the EuroHPC quantum computers are, where they sit (Munich, Paris, Poznan, Ostrava and more), what they cost and who can use them. - Trapped Ion Quantum Computers Explained
How do trapped ion quantum computers work? Learn how charged atoms become qubits, why they are accurate, why they are slow, and how they might scale. - The EU Quantum Strategy and the Delayed Quantum Act
What Europe has committed to quantum, what the planned EU Quantum Act is meant to do, and why the proposal has slipped.
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