Piloting the Quantum Economy Blueprint Lessons from Saudi Arabia 2026

2. Coordinating fragmented efforts: Quantum capabilities are distributed across academic institutions, government laboratories and private-sector entities. Without coordination, actors duplicate investments and leave critical capability gaps unaddressed. Such frameworks establish common priorities and sequence implementation across the national ecosystem. 3. Making strategic choices: Not all nations can or should lead across all quantum domains. Such frameworks support rigorous self- assessment, enabling leaders to identify where to build domestic capability, where to partner internationally and where to adopt external solutions. Different entry points present distinct trade-offs: high-barrier, high-gain areas such as hardware and components require substantial capital but offer greater competitive advantages, while low-barrier, low-gain areas like software and tools allow faster entry with lower initial investment but potentially smaller strategic returns. 4. Addressing risks proactively: Quantum technologies introduce long-term security risks and supply chain dependencies requiring early intervention. Such frameworks integrate technology governance and resilience considerations from the outset, rather than as costly afterthoughts. In short, international shared frameworks transform quantum from a collection of isolated technical initiatives into a coherent national strategy, enabling countries to progress from awareness to readiness and ultimately to sustained participation in the emerging quantum economy. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shows that international collaboration in quantum is truly a two-way street: by opening up to expertise from around the world and piloting the Forum’s Quantum Economy Blueprint, it both accelerates its own capabilities and contributes to a more inclusive global quantum ecosystem. Even though the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) International Year of Quantum has concluded, this leadership underlines why quantum technologies must remain high on national and international agendas. Freeke Heijman, Vice-President, European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) In response to the strategic significance of quantum technologies and the uncertainties they present, the World Economic Forum developed the Quantum Economy Blueprint.14 The blueprint serves as a guide for policy-makers, industry and academia to build national quantum ecosystems, covering strategy development, workforce development, governance, security and responsible innovation. Rather than prescribing uniform models, it provides a flexible and modular approach that countries can align with their national context and development stage. At its core, the blueprint is anchored in the values of responsible innovation and effective governance: –Transparency in decision-making processes –Accountability for outcomes –Inclusiveness in stakeholder engagement –Equity in access and benefit distribution –Non-maleficence in application development –Accessibility across societal domains –Orientation towards collective welfare These values function as strategic guideposts rather than prescriptive compliance requirements, enabling decision-makers to navigate inherent tensions between acceleration and precaution, openness and security, near-term opportunities and long-term public interest. Building on this foundation, the blueprint comprises a set of interconnected thematic domains and structural building blocks that constitute functional quantum ecosystems: capability development pathways, governance and security frameworks, innovation enablement mechanisms and collaborative infrastructure. These thematic domains are designed for simultaneous consideration rather than sequential implementation, supporting holistic assessment of readiness levels and systemic interdependencies across national ecosystems (Figure 2). The Forum’s Quantum Economy Blueprint Rather than prescribing uniform models, the blueprint provides a flexible and modular approach that countries can align with their national context and development stage. Piloting the Quantum Economy Blueprint 8