From Rare Materials to National Strategies
Quantum technology depends on a specialized, globally distributed, and often fragile supply chain. It includes rare helium-3, dilution refrigerators, and specialized control electronics. This course covers that supply chain and the national strategies, export controls, and investment flows that affect it. It also covers the competition over who builds quantum technology and who buys it.
Course Outline
Module 1 The Quantum Supply Chain
The components and materials behind quantum technology. Dilution refrigerators and cryogenic infrastructure. Control electronics and specialized components. Rare materials: helium-3 and others. Supply chain concentration and fragility. Sole-source dependencies.
Module 2 National Strategies and Investment
National quantum strategies and funding programs. The major players: US, China, EU, UK, and others. Public and private investment flows. The competition for quantum advantage and what is driving it.
Module 3 Export Controls and Geopolitics
Export controls on quantum technology. Technology transfer restrictions. The geopolitics of quantum supply chains. How geopolitical tensions affect quantum technology development and access. Strategic implications for organizations and nations.
Prerequisites
None. The course is designed for motivated professionals without a physics background.
Certificate of Completion
Upon completion, you receive a Quantum Academy certificate of completion. It is separate from our professional certifications and states your CPE credits, one for each 60 minutes of teaching. ISC2 counts them as professional development, and other certifying bodies set their own rules. The credits also count toward renewing a Quantum Academy certification. Our CPE credits page explains how to claim them.
Who this course is for
Technology strategists, policy analysts, corporate development professionals, government officials, and senior leaders who must decide how their organization approaches quantum technology under geopolitical constraints.
What you’ll be able to do afterward
- Assess the six dimensions of quantum sovereignty (cryptographic, compute, supply chain, sensing, talent, architectural)
- Map the supply chains behind each quantum computing hardware modality and identify dependencies and single points of failure
- Evaluate the impact of export controls and investment restrictions on technology access
- Analyze China’s quantum sector as a case study in strategic quantum development
- Apply the concept of sovereign optionality: maintaining freedom of action without pursuing total self-sufficiency
- Assess implications for procurement, technology selection, and partnership strategy
What you leave with
When you finish, we email you the course handbook, a PDF of every slide with notes that explain it in full. We also include a PDF copy of Quantum Sovereignty. The handbook is yours to keep.
Enrollment includes 180 days of access to the online on-demand course. Where that course is not yet published, the 180 days start on the day it is.
Where this course fits
Nothing is required. Quantum Computing Fundamentals helps where the physics is unfamiliar. Quantum Technology for Investors covers the capital side, and Quantum Computing for Executives covers the technology.
Why we teach this
The material is based on Quantum Systems Integration, the reference text on quantum computing, networking, and sensing written by the course author. It also draws on faculty who work with quantum engineering and integration teams. We teach what we have had to get right in the field. We focus on the judgment calls you will face in practice, and vendor roadmaps are not part of the course.
About this program
Quantum Academy credentials are private professional credentials issued by Quantum Academy, a trade name of Post-Quantum Institute. They are not government-issued licenses, accredited degrees, or academic credit, and earning one does not guarantee employment, promotion, regulatory approval, or any other specific outcome.
Quantum Academy programs are educational and informational only, and are not legal, compliance, or engineering advice.
