Garrigues has been granted a special mention by the Multisector Association of Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies, Telecommunications and Digital Content Companies (AMETIC) for its work in the field of quantum technologies. This accolade, collected on behalf of the firm by Eduardo Abad, partner in charge of innovation and digitalization, was bestowed at the 40th Digital Economy and Telecommunications Summit held in Santander, which also hosted the Quantum Technology Awards.

The distinction recognizes the collaboration between Garrigues and AMETIC and, in particular, the firm’s role in bringing a legal, regulatory and governance perspective to the analysis of technologies that are set to have a growing impact on businesses, institutions and public authorities.

Preview of the Report on ethics and regulation of quantum technologies

One of the main outcomes of this collaboration is the Report on ethics and regulation of quantum technologies, a collaborative work produced by the AMETIC Quantum Technologies Working Group. A preview of the report was presented during the Santander summit.

Garrigues’ g-digital team has been involved in overseeing the regulatory aspects of the work and developing a 360-degree perspective on the main legal challenges posed by these technologies.

The report is based on a fundamental premise: quantum technologies are not developed in a regulatory vacuum. Their evolution interacts with existing or evolving regulatory frameworks in fields such as cybersecurity and digital resilience, data protection, artificial intelligence, technology contracting and sector-specific regulation.

This dimension is also beginning to shape practical decisions for organizations. The shift towards post-quantum cryptography, for example, raises challenges related to identifying and inventorying existing cryptographic systems, planning future technology migrations, supplier management, technology contracting, business continuity and the incorporation of these risks into governance and oversight systems.

A dynamic, practical and international observatory

In view of the fast-moving nature of the technological, regulatory and standards landscape, AMETIC and Garrigues are also developing a digital observatory on the ethics, regulation and governance of quantum technologies.

The Observatory is intended to be a permanent initiative with a specific mission. It aims to provide businesses, institutions, public authorities and professionals with a trusted point of reference for keeping abreast of developments, identifying significant changes and translating them into practical implications for decision-making.

The initiative will be available in Spanish and English and will have a clear international outlook, reflecting both the global nature of the challenges it addresses and the need to showcase the work being carried out by organizations, businesses and institutions in this area.

The Observatory is designed to gradually incorporate regulatory updates, a map of regulations and areas of impact, practical tools for organizations, sector-specific analyses, educational and training materials and resources focused on topics such as post-quantum cryptography, digital resilience, corporate governance, technology contracting, and the interplay between artificial intelligence regulation and quantum technologies.

Madrid will host the presentation of the report and of the Observatory

The Garrigues g-digital team, with the participation of Manel Santilari, counsel at Garrigues Digital, and Moisés Menéndez, head of g-digital, has contributed both to the development of the report and the conceptual design of the future Observatory.

During the Santander summit, Manel Santilari outlined the main aspects of both initiatives and highlighted the need for an integrated, practical and non-commercial point of reference on quantum governance, ethics and regulation.

AMETIC and Garrigues plan to officially present the report and the Observatory in Madrid during the last four months of the year, at a summit targeted at the technology and legal communities, businesses, public authorities and other parties interested in the implications of quantum technologies.

For Garrigues, the development of these technologies presents a challenge that goes far beyond technical innovation: It requires anticipating how they will impact regulations, governance models and the decisions that organizations will need to start making to prepare for a rapidly evolving technological environment.